Traffic monitoring via telecommunication data

• US 9,293,041 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cama, Karl J., Herman, Norbert, Lambert, Daniel T., Westcott, Philip A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US14/243,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20150287319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 705/36.R, 340/911
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0145 for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/08 according to detected number or speed of vehicles

Abstract

Various embodiments include a system having: at least one computing device configured to monitor a motor vehicle traffic pattern by performing actions including: obtaining telecommunications data from a plurality of mobile devices within a hyper-local area over a hyper-local period; identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data; determining the motor vehicle traffic pattern based upon the telecommunications data from the set of mobile devices traveling by motor vehicle; comparing the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern with a threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern; and providing instructions for modifying at least one traffic signal device in response to the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern deviating from the threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one computing device configured to monitor a motor vehicle traffic pattern by performing actions including;

obtaining telecommunications data from a plurality of mobile devices within a hyper-local area over a hyper-local period,

wherein the hyper-local area includes a geographic area intersecting five or fewer telecommunications towers;

identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data;

determining the motor vehicle traffic pattern based upon the telecommunications data from the set of mobile devices traveling by motor vehicle;

comparing the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern with a threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern; and

providing instructions for modifying at least one traffic signal device in response to the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern deviating from the threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the providing of the instructions for modifying the at least one traffic signal device includes initiating a local pre-emptive signal tuned for the traffic signal device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the local pre-emptive signal includes at least one of an acoustic pattern, a radio signal or a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one traffic signal includes a motor vehicle traffic signal.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices traveling by non-motorized means.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one traffic signal includes a non-motorized vehicle traffic signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the hyper-local period is equal to or less than approximately one minute.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data includes identifying approximately coordinated intermittent movement of the set of mobile devices.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to monitor a non-motorized traffic pattern by performing further actions including:

identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by non-motorized means from the telecommunications data;

determining the non-motorized traffic pattern based upon the telecommunications data from the set of mobile devices traveling by non-motorized means;

comparing the determined non-motorized traffic pattern with a threshold non-motorized traffic pattern; and

providing instructions for modifying at least one non-motorized vehicle traffic signal device in response to the determined non-motorized traffic pattern deviating from the threshold non-motorized traffic pattern.

9. A computer-implemented method of monitoring a motor vehicle traffic pattern, the computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining telecommunications data from a plurality of mobile devices within a hyper-local area over a hyper-local period,

wherein the hyper-local area includes a geographic area intersecting five or fewer telecommunications towers;

identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data;

determining the motor vehicle traffic pattern based upon the telecommunications data from the set of mobile devices traveling by motor vehicle;

comparing the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern with a threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern; and

providing instructions for modifying at least one traffic signal device in response to the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern deviating from the threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern.

10. The computer-implemented of claim 9, wherein the providing of the instructions for modifying the at least one traffic signal device includes initiating a local pre-emptive signal tuned for the traffic signal device.

11. The computer-implemented of claim 10, wherein the local pre-emptive signal includes at least one of an acoustic pattern, a radio signal or a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

12. The computer-implemented of claim 9, wherein the at least one traffic signal includes a motor vehicle traffic signal or a non-motorized vehicle traffic signal.

13. The computer-implemented of claim 9, further comprising identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices traveling by non-motorized means.

14. The computer-implemented of claim 9, wherein the hyper-local period is equal to or less than approximately one minute.

15. The computer-implemented of claim 9, wherein the identifying of the set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data includes identifying approximately coordinated intermittent movement of the set of mobile devices.

16. A computer program product comprising program code embodied in at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when executed by at least one computing device, enables the at least one computing device to monitor a motor vehicle traffic pattern by performing actions including:

obtaining telecommunications data from a plurality of mobile devices within a hyper-local area over a hyper-local period,

wherein the hyper-local area includes a geographic area intersecting five or fewer telecommunications towers;

identifying a set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data;

determining the motor vehicle traffic pattern based upon the telecommunications data from the set of mobile devices traveling by motor vehicle;

comparing the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern with a threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern; and

providing instructions for modifying at least one traffic signal device in response to the determined motor vehicle traffic pattern deviating from the threshold motor vehicle traffic pattern.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the providing of the instructions for modifying the at least one traffic signal device includes initiating a local pre-emptive signal tuned for the traffic signal device, wherein the local pre-emptive signal includes at least one of an acoustic pattern, a radio signal or a global positioning system (GPS) signal.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the hyper-local period is equal to or less than approximately one minute.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the identifying of the set of mobile devices within the plurality of mobile devices travelling by motor vehicle from the telecommunications data includes identifying approximately coordinated intermittent movement of the set of mobile devices.