Automatic update of crowd and traffic data using device monitoring

• US 9,460,615 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Umm Al-Qura University
• Original Assignee: Umm Al-Qura University
• Inventors: Basalamah, Anas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US14/412,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/400, 709/223
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0108 based on the source of data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• 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 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A first mobile monitoring system includes one or more mobile monitoring devices, a network, a server and a storage memory. The server is implemented to analyze the collected signals and the traffic information to identify at least one traffic flow according to travel routes of the one or more wireless devices; determine whether the identified at least one traffic flow exceeds an updating threshold based on the collected signals; derive at the server when the traffic flow exceeds the updating threshold, an updating priority indicating an order in which the traffic flows are processed based on the collected signals; and update a dynamic traffic transportation plan map based on the at least one traffic flow, the updating threshold and the updating priority.

Claims

1. A traffic update method implemented by a mobile monitoring system including in part a server and at least one monitoring device, comprising:

collecting, at the at least one monitoring device, signals emitted from one or more wireless devices;

collecting, at the server, traffic information from one or more sources including at least one of satellite, radio channel and network sources;

determining an accuracy level of the traffic information based on the one or more sources providing the traffic information or an amount of correspondence between the one or more sources,

analyzing, at the server, the collected signals and the traffic information to identify at least one traffic flow according to travel routes of the one or more wireless devices;

determining, at the server, whether the identified at least one traffic flow exceeds an updating threshold based on the collected signals;

deriving, at the server, when the traffic flow exceeds the updating threshold, an updating priority indicating an order in which the traffic flows are processed based on the collected signals; and

updating, at the server, a dynamic traffic transportation plan map based on the at least one traffic flow, the updating threshold, the updating priority, and the accuracy level of the traffic information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signals include information identifying the number of vehicles and/or pedestrians within a predetermined area near the at least one monitoring device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the server sets the updating threshold as a function of the number of vehicles and/or pedestrians.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server sets the updating threshold as a function of the collected traffic information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server sets the updating threshold as a function of the collected signals and the collected traffic information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server selectively updates the dynamic traffic transportation plan map for locations with a higher updating priority before updating the dynamic traffic transportation plan map for locations with a lower updating priority.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the server transmits the updated dynamic traffic transportation plan map to an external device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the server transmits the updated dynamic traffic transportation plan map to at least one wireless device via the at least one monitoring device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further includes:

comparing traffic information from at least one satellite with a reference map, the traffic information include satellite imagery;

determining whether a traffic difference from the comparison exceeds the updating threshold, and

the deriving step further includes inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the comparing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the deriving step further includes:

monitoring traffic news from the radio channels;

obtaining traffic congestion information via the monitoring of the traffic news; and

inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the obtained radio traffic congestion information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the deriving step further includes:

monitoring traffic news from the network sources;

obtaining internet traffic congestion information by searching through the traffic news; and

inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the obtained internet traffic congestion information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the server identifies signals received from the at least one wireless device via the at least one monitor device as having a high accuracy level.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the server identifies signals received from the at least one of the satellites, radio channels, and network sources as having lower accuracy than the accuracy of signals received from the at least one wireless device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the server updates the dynamic traffic transportation plan map when the accuracy level of the traffic information is greater than a predetermined threshold.

15. A monitoring system for automatically detecting traffic flows, comprising:

one or more monitoring devices configured to collect wireless signals emitted from one or more wireless devices; and

a server configured to

collect traffic information from one or more sources including at least one of satellite, radio channel and network sources;

determine an accuracy level of the traffic information based on the one or more sources providing the traffic information or an amount of correspondence between the one or more sources;

analyze the collected signals and the traffic information to identify at least one traffic flow according to travel routes of the one or more wireless devices;

determine whether the identified at least one traffic flow exceeds an updating threshold based on the collected signals;

derive, when the traffic flow exceeds the updating threshold, an updating priority indicating an order in which the traffic flows are processed based on the collected signals; and

update a dynamic traffic transportation plan map based on the at least one traffic flow, the updating threshold, the updating priority, and the accuracy level of the traffic information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the server further derives the updating priority through the satellite by:

comparing traffic information from at least one satellite with a reference map, the traffic information include satellite imagery;

determining whether a traffic difference from the comparison exceeds the updating threshold, and

the deriving step further includes inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the comparing.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the server is further configured to derive the updating priority by:

monitoring traffic news from the radio channels;

obtaining traffic congestion information via the monitoring of the traffic news; and

inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the obtained radio traffic congestion information.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the server is further configured to derive the updating priority by:

monitoring traffic news from the network sources;

obtaining interne traffic congestion information by searching through the traffic news; and

inferring the updating priority based on priority levels set by the server as a function of the obtained internet traffic congestion information.

19. A monitoring server for automatically detecting traffic flows, the server comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

collect traffic information from one or more sources including at least one of satellite, radio channel and network sources;

determine an accuracy level of the traffic information based on the one or more sources providing the traffic information or an amount of correspondence between the one or more sources;

analyze the collected signals and the traffic information to identify at least one traffic flow according to travel routes of the one or more wireless devices;

determine whether the identified at least one traffic flow exceeds an updating threshold based on the collected signals;

derive, when the traffic flow exceeds the updating threshold, an updating priority indicating an order in which the traffic flows are processed based on the collected signals; and

update a dynamic traffic transportation plan map based on the at least one traffic flow, the updating threshold, the updating priority, and the accuracy level of the traffic information.

20. The monitoring server of claim 19, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to update the dynamic traffic transportation plan map when the accuracy level of the traffic information is greater than a predetermined threshold.