Method for transforming probe data across transportation modes

• US 9,558,658 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Stenneth, Leon
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): TESTARDI, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US14/039,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20150094940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method. A relationship between a first probe type and a second different probe type is determined. The first probe type includes one of a deficient probe or an abundant probe. The second different probe type includes the other of the deficient probe or the abundant probe. A time estimate based on data corresponding to the deficient probe and/or the abundant probe is provided. Abundant probe information is converted to deficient probe information based on the time estimate.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining a historical or statistical relationship between a first probe type and a second different probe type, wherein the first probe type comprises an abundant probe of a first transportation mode, wherein the second different probe type comprises a deficient probe of a second different transportation mode;

providing a real time probe information estimate based on collected probe data corresponding to the abundant probe, wherein the real time probe information estimate relates to a location, travel time or speed of the abundant probe, wherein the probe data corresponding to the abundant probe is received from a plurality of probe data collection devices, each probe data collection device being installed onboard a vehicle corresponding to the first transportation mode, and wherein each probe data collection device is configured to provide at least one of latitude, longitude, speed, or heading of the corresponding vehicle; and

converting, with a probe transformation server, probe information corresponding to the abundant probe type to probe information corresponding to the deficient probe by using the determined relationship and based on at least the real time probe information estimate, in order to estimate a location, travel time, or speed for the transportation mode corresponding to the deficient probe type;

wherein;

when the abundant probe type is a transit bus transportation mode, the method further comprises;

identifying bus specific probe data; and

prior to providing the real time probe information estimate, suppressing the bus specific probe data collected by a probe data collection device onboard a transit bus in order to remove noise in the probe data,

wherein the bus specific probe data comprises (a) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is located within a threshold distance of a bus stop and (b) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is in a bus only lane, the threshold distance being a predetermined distance, and

wherein the bus specific probe data is identified based on archived bus stop and bus only lane data accessible to the probe transformation server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first probe type corresponds to a transit probe, and wherein the second probe type corresponds to a non-transit probe.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first probe type corresponds to a transit bus transportation mode, and wherein the second probe type corresponds to a car or truck transportation mode.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a number of abundant probes in a geographical area.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a number of deficient probes in a geographical area.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the relationship comprises determining a historical relationship between the first probe type and the second probe type.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the converting of the abundant probe information to deficient probe information is further based on a historical relationship between the first probe type and the second probe type, an abundant probe real time probe information estimate, and a deficient probe real time probe information estimate.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

determine a historical or statistical relationship between a first probe type and a second different probe type, wherein the first probe type comprises an abundant probe of a first transportation mode, wherein the second different probe type comprises a deficient probe of a second different transportation mode;

provide a real time probe information estimate based on collected probe data corresponding to the abundant probe, wherein the real time probe information estimate relates to a location, travel time or speed of the abundant probe, wherein the probe data corresponding to the abundant probe is received from a plurality of probe data collection devices, each probe data collection device being installed onboard a vehicle corresponding to the first transportation mode, and wherein each probe data collection device is configured to provide at least one of latitude, longitude, speed, or heading of the corresponding vehicle; and

convert, with a probe transformation server, probe information corresponding to the abundant probe type to probe information corresponding to the deficient probe by using the determined relationship and based on at least the real time probe information estimate, in order to estimate a location, travel time, or speed for the transportation mode corresponding to the deficient probe type;

wherein;

when the abundant probe type is a transit bus transportation mode, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

identify bus specific probe data; and

prior to providing the real time probe information estimate, suppress the bus specific probe data collected by a probe data collection device onboard a transit bus in order to remove noise in the probe data,

wherein the bus specific probe data comprises (a) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is located within a threshold distance of a bus stop and (b) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is in a bus only lane, the threshold distance being a predetermined distance, and

wherein the bus specific probe data is identified based on archived bus stop and bus only lane data accessible to the probe transformation server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first transportation mode corresponds to a transit mode, and wherein the second transportation mode corresponds to a non-transit mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first transportation mode corresponds to a transit bus, and wherein the second transportation mode corresponds to a car or truck transportation mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the apparatus further comprises a historical relationship subsystem for determining the historical relationship between the first probe type and the second probe type.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the historical relationship subsystem is configured to store historical relationships between the first transportation mode and the second transportation mode in the at least one memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to convert the information based on a historical relationship between a first transportation mode and a second transportation mode, an abundant probe real time probe information estimate, and a deficient probe real time probe information estimate.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second different transportation mode is a road vehicle transportation mode.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

code for determining a historical or statistical relationship between a first probe type and a second different probe type, wherein the first probe type comprises an abundant probe of a first transportation mode, wherein the second different probe type comprises a deficient probe of a second different transportation mode;

code for providing a real time probe information estimate based on collected probe data corresponding to the abundant probe, wherein the real time probe information estimate relates to a location, travel time or speed of the abundant probe, wherein the probe data corresponding to the abundant probe is received from a plurality of probe data collection devices, each probe data collection device being installed onboard a vehicle corresponding to the first transportation mode, and wherein each probe data collection device is configured to provide at least one of latitude, longitude, speed, or heading of the corresponding vehicle;

code for converting, with a probe transformation server, probe information corresponding to the abundant probe type to probe information corresponding to the deficient probe by using the determined relationship and based on at least the real time probe information estimate, in order to estimate a location, travel time, or speed for the transportation mode corresponding to the deficient probe type; and

code for when the abundant probe type is a transit bus transportation mode, identifying bus specific probe data, and, prior to providing the real time probe information estimate, suppressing the bus specific probe data collected by a probe data collection device onboard a transit bus in order to remove noise in the probe data,

wherein the bus specific probe data comprises (a) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is located within a threshold distance of a bus stop and (b) probe data collected by the probe data collection device onboard the transit bus when the transit bus is in a bus only lane, the threshold distance being a predetermined distance, and

wherein the bus specific probe data is identified based on archived bus stop and bus only lane data accessible to the probe transformation server.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first transportation mode corresponds to a transit mode, and wherein the second transportation mode corresponds to a non-transit mode.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the first transportation mode corresponds to a transit bus transportation mode, and wherein the second transportation mode corresponds to a car or truck transportation mode.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein a historical relationship subsystem is configured to store historical relationships between the first transportation mode and the second transportation mode.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the first probe type and/or the second probe type corresponds to a probe vehicle of a traffic information system.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising code for converting the information based on a historical relationship between a first transportation mode and a second transportation mode, an abundant probe real time probe information estimate, and a deficient probe real time probe information estimate.