System and method for processing, receiving, and displaying traffic information

• US 9,361,800 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2014
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Crowd Sourced Traffic LLC
• Inventors: Vorona, Dimitri
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US14/341,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20140336914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701/414, 701/423, 340/995.1, 340/995.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A system for sharing and processing traffic information includes a number of traffic information computer systems within individual vehicles or devices and a virtual traffic information server on a mobile network. The traffic information computer systems are each connected through a peer-to-peer radio, cellular, Wi-Fi, or other similar types of communications network, and which each operate with a database for displaying road maps, with a database storing average speed data for directions of travel along roadways, and with a location sensor used to determine the location and average speed of the vehicle or device, which are transmitted to other vehicles. The virtual server returns average speed data for road segments, which is displayed on the road maps. The system includes sharing average speed data calculated as well average speed data received from the plurality of vehicles to other vehicles, thereby enhancing the real-time communication of traffic and/or road condition data.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium and in operative communication with a computerized system, said instructions performing the steps of:

receiving, via a receiver, information regarding a first set of traffic data collected from one or more users;

storing, via a traffic database, information regarding said first set of traffic data for road segments traveled by said one or more users;

calculating periodically, via a processor, an average speed of movement, wherein said calculation is performed at least for a predetermined time or a predetermined distance traveled, or at least for a predetermined time and a predetermined distance traveled;

transmitting, via a transmitter, a second set of traffic data to at least one or more vehicles or a server, or at least one or more vehicles and a server; and

displaying, via a display device, at least a subset of said second set of traffic data, wherein said at least a subset of said second set of traffic data is displayed on one or more computer-generated roadmaps.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting said first set of traffic data received from said one or more users to said at least one or more vehicles or said server, or said at least one or more vehicles and said server.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said transmission is sent over a communications network that connects to said one or more vehicles or said server, or said one or more vehicles and said server.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining, via a location determining module, at least one of a location and a direction of at least one of said one or more vehicles.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said calculating step further comprises:

determining a first location of a first vehicle of said one or more vehicles at a first point in time;

determining a second location of said first vehicle at a later time; and

calculating a distance traveled by said first vehicle between said first location and said second location.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein said subset of said second set of traffic data further comprises data for opposite directions of travel.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein one or more of said receiving and transmitting steps is performed on a vehicle peer-to-peer network.

8. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions embodied in a computer-readable medium and in operative communication with a computerized system, said instructions performing the steps of:

receiving, via a receiver, information regarding location of one or more vehicles travelling on a road segment;

storing, via a data storage database, said location of at least one or more of said one or more vehicles travelling on said road segment;

calculating periodically, via a processor, an average speed of movement of all vehicles from which location over said road segment has been received, and wherein said calculation is performed for at least one of a predetermined time and predetermined distance traveled, or at least for a predetermined time and a predetermined distance traveled;

transmitting, via a transmitter, information regarding said average speed of movement relating to said vehicles to at least one or more vehicles, or a server, or at least one or more vehicles and a server; and

displaying, via a display device, at least a subset of said information regarding said average speed of movement for road segments traveled, wherein said subset of said information is displayed on computer-generated roadmaps.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising the step of transmitting said location of one or more vehicles travelling on said road segment received from said one or more users to said at least one or more vehicles or said server, or said at least one or more vehicles and said server.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said transmission is sent over a communications network that connects to said one or more vehicles or said server, or said one or more vehicles and said server.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining, via a location determining module, at least one of a location and a direction of at least one of said one or more vehicles.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said calculating step further comprises:

determining a first location of a first vehicle of said one or more vehicles at a first point in time;

determining a second location of said first vehicle at a later time; and

calculating a distance traveled by said first vehicle between said first location and said second location.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein said at least a subset of said information regarding said average speed of movement for road segments traveled further comprises data for opposite directions of travel.