Routing based on detected stops

• US 9,250,091 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fino, Jorge S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/338,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20140336913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/117, 301/1, 301/468, 301/532, 340/436, 340/439, 340/479, 340/905, 340/907, 340/908, 340/993, 406/10, 406/12, 362/503, 187/387, 180/65.25, 903/916
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• 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: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096805 where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

In some implementations, a mobile device can transmit traffic information to a server for analysis. The traffic information can include movement information including detected stops and durations of detected stops. The traffic information is analyzed to detect traffic patterns that indicate locations of stop signs or stop lights or both. The traffic information can be analyzed to determine durations of stops at stop signs or stop lights or both. The durations of stops can be associated with a time of day or day of the week or both. In some implementations, navigational routes can be determined based stop sign or stop light information or both, including the delays attributable to detected stop signs or stop lights or both.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

on a computing device;

receiving a start location and a destination location;

determining routes between the start location and the destination location;

identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes;

determining delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes;

determining travel times for routes based on the delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes; and

presenting at least one of the routes determined based on the stop sign and stop light information.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving user input specifying a start location and a destination location for a route.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising adding the delays attributable to the stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes to the travel times calculated based on distance and speed for each route to determine which route has the shortest travel times.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes comprises receiving information describing attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the attributes of the stop signs and stop lights are determined based on:

receiving traffic information;

analyzing the traffic information to identify traffic patterns attributable to stop signs or stop lights; and

determining attributes of stop signs and stop lights based on the traffic information and the identified stop sign traffic patterns and stop light traffic patterns.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the determined attributes include locations of stop signs or stop lights.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the delays attributable to stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes are determined based on the determined attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes operations comprising:

receiving a start location and a destination location;

determining routes between the start location and the destination location;

identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes;

determining delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes;

determining travel times for routes based on the delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes; and

presenting at least one of the routes determined based on the stop sign and stop light information.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the operations comprising receiving user input specifying a start location and a destination location for a route.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the operations comprising adding the delays attributable to the stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes to the travel times calculated based on distance and speed for each route to determine which route has the shortest travel times.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes comprises receiving information describing attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the attributes of the stop signs and stop lights are determined based on:

receiving traffic information;

analyzing the traffic information to identify traffic patterns attributable to stop signs or stop lights; and

determining attributes of stop signs and stop lights based on the traffic information and the identified stop sign traffic patterns and stop light traffic patterns.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the determined attributes include locations of stop signs or stop lights.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the delays attributable to stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes are determined based on the determined attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes operations comprising;

receiving a start location and a destination location;

determining routes between the start location and the destination location;

identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes;

determining delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes;

determining travel times for routes based on the delays attributable to stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes; and

presenting at least one of the routes determined based on the stop sign and stop light information.

16. The system of claim 15, the operations comprising receiving user input specifying a start location and a destination location for a route.

17. The system of claim 15, the operations comprising adding the delays attributable to the stop signs or stop lights along the determined routes to the travel times calculated based on distance and speed for each route to determine which route has the shortest travel times.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein identifying stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes comprises receiving information describing attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the attributes of the stop signs and stop lights are determined based on:

receiving traffic information;

analyzing the traffic information to identify traffic patterns attributable to stop signs or stop lights; and

determining attributes of stop signs and stop lights based on the traffic information and the identified stop sign traffic patterns and stop light traffic patterns.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the determined attributes include locations of stop signs or stop lights.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the delays attributable to stop signs and stop lights along the determined routes are determined based on the determined attributes of the stop signs and stop lights.