Travel optimization system

• US 9,208,684 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon New Jersey Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon New Jersey Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Woo Beum, Gharachorloo, Nader, Felt, Michelle
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US13/666,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20140118168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/910, 340/670, 710/460, 710/446, 710/1, 710408-410
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

A device may obtain information associated with a traffic light. The traffic light may control a flow of traffic associated with a first location. The device may obtain travel information associated with a mobile device and determine, based on the travel information, that the mobile device is located at a second location, that is different from the first location, and is traveling toward the first location. The device may determine a projected status of the traffic light based on the information associated with the traffic light and the travel information. The projected status of the traffic light indicating a status of the traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the first location. The device may transmit information identifying the projected status to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a device, travel information associated with a mobile device,

the travel information including information identifying a route of travel of the mobile device;

identifying, by the device and based on the travel information, a first traffic light and a second traffic light located along the route of travel, regardless of whether the first traffic light and the second traffic light are in different directions of travel or are in a same direction of travel;

obtaining, by the device, information associated with the first traffic light,

the first traffic light controlling a flow of traffic associated with a first location;

determining, by the device and based on the travel information, that the mobile device is located at a second location and is traveling toward the first location,

the second location being different from the first location;

determining, by the device, a projected status of the first traffic light based on the information associated with the first traffic light and the travel information,

the projected status of the first traffic light indicating a status of the first traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the first location;

providing, by the device, to the mobile device;

information identifying a current status of the first traffic light, and

information identifying the projected status of the first traffic light;

determining, by the device, a projected status of the second traffic light based on information associated with the second traffic light,

the projected status of the second traffic light being determined as the mobile device arrives at the first location,

the second traffic light controlling a flow of traffic associated with a third location different from the first location and the second location,

the projected status of the second traffic light indicating a status of the second traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the third location; and

providing, by the device, to the mobile device;

information identifying an updated current status of the first traffic light, and

information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light.

2. The method of claim 1, where the travel information further includes information identifying the second location and information identifying a speed of travel associated with the mobile device, and

where determining the projected status of the first traffic light includes:

determining the projected status of the first traffic light further based on the information identifying the second location and the information identifying the speed of travel.

3. The method of claim 1,

where obtaining the information associated with the first traffic light includes:

determining that the first traffic light is located along the route of travel,

sending a request to the first traffic light based on the first traffic light being located along the route of travel, and

receiving the information, associated with the first traffic light, from the first traffic light based on sending the request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, based on providing the information identifying the projected status of the first traffic light, updated travel information from the mobile device;

updating, based on the updated travel information, the projected status of the first traffic light to obtain an updated projected status of the first traffic light; and

providing information identifying the updated projected status to the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, the method further comprising:

obtaining updated information associated with the first traffic light based on receiving the updated travel information; and

where updating the projected status of the first traffic light includes;

updating the projected status of the first traffic light further based on the updated information associated with the first traffic light.

6. The method of claim 1, where the travel information includes information identifying a current location of the mobile device, the method further comprising:

determining travel information associated with another mobile device based on the current location of the mobile device; and

providing one or more portions of the travel information associated with the other mobile device to the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining information for modifying an operation of the first traffic light based on the projected status of the first traffic light; and

providing the information for modifying the operation of the first traffic light to the first traffic light to cause the first traffic light to be associated with a particular status as the mobile device arrives at the first location.

8. A device comprising:

a processor to;

determine travel information associated with the device,

the travel information including information identifying a particular route that includes a first location,

identify a first traffic light and a second traffic light located along the particular route, regardless of whether the first traffic light and the second traffic light are in different directions of travel or are in a same direction of travel,

the first traffic light being associated with a second location included in the particular route,

the second traffic light being associated with a third location included in the particular route,

determine a projected status of the first traffic light based on the travel information,

the projected status of the first traffic light indicating a status of the first traffic light at a time the device is projected to arrive at the second location,

output to a user;

information identifying a current status of the first traffic light, and information identifying the projected status of the first traffic light,

determine a projected status of the second traffic light associated with the third location,

the projected status of the second traffic light being determined as the device arrives at the first location,

the projected status of the second traffic light indicating a status of the second traffic light at a time the device is projected to arrive at the third location, and

output, after determining the projected status of the second traffic light, to the user;

information identifying an updated current status of the first traffic light, and

information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light.

9. The device of claim 8, where, when outputting the information identifying the updated current status of the first traffic light and the information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light, the processor is further to at least one of:

output a visual alert to the user,

output an audible alert to the user, or

output a physical alert to the user.

10. The device of claim 9, where the processor is further to:

output the visual alert,

the projected status of the first traffic light being associated with a time period,

the time period corresponding to a portion of an amount of time to travel between the first location and the third location,

the updated current status of the first traffic light being associated with another time period corresponding to a different portion of the amount of time,

where, when outputting the visual alert, the processor is further to;

cause information identifying a current location of the device, the information identifying the updated current status of the first traffic light, information identifying the first traffic light, information identifying the second traffic light, and the information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light to be displayed on a display associated with the device.

11. The device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

determine updated travel information associated with the device,

the updated travel information being based on the device being at a different location along the particular route, and

cause the information identifying the current location of the device, the information identifying the updated current status of the first traffic light, the information identifying the first traffic light, the information identifying the second traffic light, and the information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light, displayed on the display associated with the device, to be modified based on the updated travel information.

12. The device of claim 11, where the processor is further to:

determine, based on the updated travel information, an updated projected status of the first traffic light, and

output information identifying the updated projected status.

13. The device of claim 8, where the travel information includes one or more of:

information identifying a current location of the device, or

information identifying a speed of travel of the device.

14. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

transmit the travel information to a device associated with the first traffic light located at the second location, and

where, when determining the projected status of the first traffic light, the processor is to;

receive information indicating the projected status of the first traffic light from the device associated with the first traffic light located at the second location.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

obtain travel information associated with a mobile device,

the travel information including information identifying a route of travel,

identify, based on the travel information, a first traffic light and a second traffic light located along the route of travel, regardless of whether the first traffic light and the second traffic light are in different directions of travel or are in a same direction of travel,

obtain information associated with the first traffic light,

the first traffic light controlling a flow of traffic associated with a first location,

determine, based on the travel information, that the mobile device is located at a second location and is traveling toward the first location,

the second location being different from the first location,

determine a projected status of the first traffic light based on the information associated with the first traffic light and the travel information,

the projected status of the first traffic light indicating a status of the first traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the first location,

transmit information identifying the projected status to the mobile device,

determine a projected status of the second traffic light based on information associated with the second traffic light,

the projected status of the second traffic light being determined as the mobile device arrives at the first location,

the second traffic light controlling a flow of traffic associated with a third location different from the first location and the second location,

the projected status of the second traffic light indicating a status of the second traffic light at a time the mobile device is projected to arrive at the third location; and

provide, as the mobile device arrives at the first location, to the mobile device;

information identifying an updated current status of the first traffic light, and

information identifying the projected status of the second traffic light.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the travel information includes further information identifying the second location and information identifying a speed of travel associated with the mobile device, and

where the one or more instructions to determine the projected status of the first traffic light include:

one or more instructions to determine the projected status of the first traffic light further based on the information identifying the second location and the information identifying the speed of travel.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to determine, based on the travel information, the route of travel; and

where the one or more instructions to obtain the information associated with the first traffic light include;

one or more instructions to determine that the first traffic light is associated with the route of travel, and

one or more instructions to obtain the traffic light information from the first traffic light based on the first traffic light being associated with the route of travel.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, where the one or more instructions to determine the route of travel include:

one or more instructions to extract an identifier from the travel information,

one or more instructions to obtain historical information associated with the mobile device based on the identifier, and

one or more instructions to determine the route of travel based on the historical information.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to determine travel data associated with another mobile device; and

one or more instructions to determine whether the mobile device is associated with a first level of service or a second level of service; and

where the one or more instructions to transmit the information identifying the projected status include;

one or more instructions to transmit one or more portions of the travel data associated with the other mobile device when the mobile device is associated with the first level of service,

the one or more portions of the travel data associated with the other mobile device not being transmitted when the mobile device is associated with the second level of service.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to determine information for modifying an operation of the first traffic light based on the projected status of the first traffic light; and

one or more instructions to transmit the information for modifying the operation of the first traffic light, to the first traffic light, to cause the first traffic light to be associated with a particular status as the mobile device arrives at the first location.