Identification of driver abnormalities in a traffic flow

• US 9,396,660 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2015
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Speedgauge Incorporated (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Speedgauge Incorporated (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hubbard, Jonathan, Kantarjiev, Christopher A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US14/602,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 545 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Driving behavior may be analyzed based on other vehicles in proximity to a tracked or monitored vehicle. GPS data is collected from the monitored vehicle and other vehicles in physical or geographic proximity thereto. A determination is made as to whether the vehicle in the physical or geographical area is exhibiting aberrant behavior. The aberrant behavior may be determined in view of other vehicles in the geographical area. If aberrant behavior is detected, an alert may be generated and transmitted to an administrator.

Claims

1. A system for tracking vehicle behavior, the system comprising:

a communication receiver;

a communication transmitter;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the communication receiver and the communication transmitter, wherein execution of instructions stored in the memory by the processor;

receives position data via the communication receiver from a plurality of positioning devices corresponding to a plurality of vehicles within a geographic area, wherein each positioning device of the plurality of positioning devices is coupled to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and captures a subset of the position data that corresponds to the vehicle using at least a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver,

receives geographical data about the geographical area,

calculates one or more values based on at least a subset of the captured position data associated with at least a first set of vehicles, the one or more values corresponding to a plurality of metrics associated with vehicle behavior, the first set of vehicles being at least a subset of the plurality of vehicles within the geographic area, the plurality of metrics including a lane change metric based on lane change behavior of each vehicle of the first set of vehicles,

identifies a first vehicle of the first set of vehicles, the first vehicle corresponding to a first value of the one or more values, the first value corresponding to a first metric of the set of one or more metrics, the first value having exceeded a predetermined threshold associated with the first metric, and

transmits an alert to an administrator device via the communication transmitter, the alert identifying at least the first vehicle and the first metric.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the geo-data management module, when executed by the processor, selects the geographical area based on at least one of a location of the first vehicle, an input received from an administrator, or an availability of geographical data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first metric is at least one of an average speed of the vehicle, a top speed of the vehicle, a current speed of the vehicle, a heading of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, or a usage of brakes by the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first metric is at least one of a proximity distance metric or the lane change metric, wherein the proximity distance metric is based on a proximity distance measurement from the first vehicle to one or more other vehicles near the first vehicle, and wherein the lane change metric is based on the first vehicle'"'"'s lane changing behavior.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data comparison module, when executed by the processor, bases the value of the threshold on a multiple of a standard deviation value for the first metric, the standard deviation value for the first metric based on values corresponding to the first set of vehicles and the first metric.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert identifies the first vehicle based on at least one of a vehicle identifier of the first vehicle or an identity of a driver of the first vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a time stamp associated with identifying the first vehicle, the first value of the first metric that exceeded the predetermined threshold, or a second value of a second metric associated with the first vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a time stamp associated with identifying the first vehicle, the first value of the first metric that exceeded the predetermined threshold, or a second value of a second metric associated with the first vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each positioning device of the plurality of positioning devices captures the subset of the position data using both the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a base-based positioning system that works in conjunction with one or more communication towers.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for providing on-demand wireless services, the method comprising:

receiving position data from a plurality of positioning devices corresponding to a plurality of vehicles within a geographic area, wherein each positioning device of the plurality of positioning devices is coupled to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and captures a subset of the position data that corresponds to the vehicle using at least a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

calculating one or more values based on at least a subset of the captured position data associated with at least a first set of vehicles, the one or more values corresponding to a plurality of metrics associated with vehicle behavior, the first set of vehicles being at least a subset of the plurality of vehicles within the geographic area, the plurality of metrics including a lane change metric based on lane change behavior of each vehicle of the first set of vehicles;

identifying a first vehicle of the first set of vehicles, the first vehicle corresponding to a first value of the one or more values, the first value corresponding to a first metric of the set of one or more metrics, the first value having exceeded a predetermined threshold associated with the first metric; and

transmitting an alert to an administrator device, the alert identifying at least the first vehicle and the first metric.

11. A method of tracking vehicle behavior, the method comprising:

receiving position data via a communication receiver from a plurality of positioning devices corresponding to a plurality of vehicles within a geographic area, wherein each positioning device of the plurality of positioning devices is coupled to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and captures a subset of the position data that corresponds to the vehicle using at least a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver;

calculating one or more values based on at least a subset of the captured position data associated with at least a first set of vehicles, the one or more values corresponding to a plurality of metrics associated with vehicle behavior, the first set of vehicles being at least a subset of the plurality of vehicles within the geographic area, the plurality of metrics including a lane change metric based on lane change behavior of each vehicle of the first set of vehicles;

identifying a first vehicle of the first set of vehicles, the first vehicle corresponding to a first value of the one or more values, the first value corresponding to a first metric of the set of one or more metrics, the first value having exceeded a predetermined threshold associated with the first metric; and

transmitting an alert via a communication transmitter to an administrator device, the alert identifying at least the first vehicle and the first metric.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographical area is selected based on at least one of a location of the first vehicle, an input received from an administrator, or an availability of geographical data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first metric is based on at least one of an average speed of the vehicle, a top speed of the vehicle, a current speed of the vehicle, a heading of the vehicle, a location of the vehicle, or a usage of brakes by the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first metric is at least one of a proximity distance metric or the lane change metric, wherein the proximity distance metric is based on a proximity distance measurement from the first vehicle to one or more other vehicles near the first vehicle, and wherein the lane change metric is based on the first vehicle'"'"'s lane changing behavior.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the threshold is based on a multiple of a standard deviation value for the first metric, the standard deviation value for the first metric based on values corresponding to the first set of vehicles and the first metric.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the alert identifies the first vehicle based on at least one of a vehicle identifier of the first vehicle or an identity of a driver of the first vehicle.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the alert further includes at least one of a time stamp associated with identifying the first vehicle, the first value of the first metric that exceeded the predetermined threshold, or a second value of a second metric associated with the first vehicle.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein each positioning device of the plurality of positioning devices captures the subset of the position data using both the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and a base-based positioning system that works in conjunction with one or more communication towers.