Calculating speed and travel times with travel delays

• US 9,129,449 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Davidson, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frejd, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, LUAT T
• Application Number:
  US13/940,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20130297175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/119, 701/1, 701/99
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• 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 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for forecasting travel delays corresponding to streets, street segments, geographic areas, geofenced areas, and/or user-specified criteria. And from the forecasted travel delays, speed and travel times that take into account such travel delays can be determined.

Claims

1. A method for determining a fee, the method comprising:

receiving, via the one or more processors, operational data comprising vehicle telematics data indicative of one or more vehicle dynamics for a vehicle during one or more time periods, the vehicle telematics data (a) collected by a telematics device affixed to the vehicle and (b) downloaded by a remote computing device;

determining, by the one or more processors, a distance traveled by the vehicle within a geographical area during the one or more time periods, the determining based at least in part on the operational data comprising the vehicle telematics data;

identifying, by the one or more processors, one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods, wherein each of the one or more travel delay segments represents a period of engine idle time of the vehicle;

determining, by the one or more processors, the duration of each of the one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods based at least in part on the operational data;

determining, by the one or more processors, a value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area based at least in part on the distance traveled and the duration of the travel delay segments; and

determining, by the one or more processors, a fee associated with the geographical area based at least in part on the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a travel delay seconds per mile traveled value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a miles traveled per travel delay minute value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the travel delay segments are identified by:

segmenting the operational data into a plurality of activity segments representing periods of time classified according to vehicle activity or service activity, the activity segments comprising start of trip segments, travel segments, and end of trip segments; and

identifying, based at least in part on the operational data, segments of engine idle time occurring during one of the travel segments and designating the identified engine idle segments as travel delay segments.

5. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

receive operational data comprising vehicle telematics data indicative of one or more vehicle dynamics for a vehicle during one or more time periods, the vehicle telematics data (a) collected by a telematics device affixed to the vehicle and (b) downloaded by a remote computing device;

determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a geographical area during the one or more time periods, the determining based at least in part on the operational data comprising the vehicle telematics data;

identify one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods, wherein each of the one or more travel delay segments represents a period of engine idle time of the vehicle;

determine the duration of each of the one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods based at least in part on the operational data;

determine a value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area based at least in part on the distance traveled and the duration of the travel delay segments; and

determine a fee associated with the geographical area based at least in part on the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a travel delay seconds per mile traveled value.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a miles traveled per travel delay minute value.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the travel delay segments are identified by the apparatus by:

segmenting the operational data into a plurality of activity segments representing periods of time classified according to vehicle activity or service activity, the activity segments comprising start of trip segments, travel segments, and end of trip segments; and

identifying, based at least in part on the operational data, segments of engine idle time occurring during one of the travel segments and designating the identified engine idle segments as travel delay segments.

9. A computer program product for determining a fee, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive operational data comprising vehicle telematics data indicative of one or more vehicle dynamics for a vehicle during one or more time periods, the vehicle telematics data (a) collected by a telematics device affixed to the vehicle and (b) downloaded by a remote computing device;

an executable portion configured to determine a distance traveled by the vehicle within a geographical area during the one or more time periods, the determining based at least in part on the operational data comprising the vehicle telematics data;

an executable portion configured to identify one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods, wherein each of the one or more travel delay segments represents a period of engine idle time of the vehicle;

an executable portion configured to determine the duration of one or more travel delay segments associated with the geographical area during the one or more time periods based at least in part on the operational data;

an executable portion configured to determine a value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area based at least in part on the distance traveled and the duration of the travel delay segments; and

an executable portion configured to determine a fee associated with the geographical area based at least in part on the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a travel delay seconds per mile traveled value.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the value indicative of the average amount of travel delay time per unit of distance within the geographical area comprises a miles traveled per travel delay minute value.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the travel delay segments are identified by the computer program product by:

an executable portion configured to segment the operational data into a plurality of activity segments representing periods of time classified according to vehicle activity or service activity, the activity segments comprising start of trip segments, travel segments, and end of trip segments; and

an executable portion configured to identify, based at least in part on the operational data, segments of engine idle time occurring during one of the travel segments and designating the identified engine idle segments as travel delay segments.