Crowdsourced detection of defective street lights

• US 9,646,499 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Finlow-Bates, Keir, Vaarala, Kim, Annapureddy, Koushik
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US15/080,521
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A method for the crowdsourced detection of defective street lights includes receiving reporting data from a plurality of vehicles, where each reporting data includes: (i) at least one light intensity value measured by at least one sensor of a respective vehicle, (ii) a time that the light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle, and (iii) a location of the respective vehicle at the time that the light intensity value was measured. The method also includes obtaining a baseline light intensity value for at least one street light at the location and combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location. An indication of a degradation of performance of the at least one street light is then generated in response to a comparison of the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving reporting data from a plurality of vehicles, wherein the reporting data comprises;

at least one light intensity value measured by at least one sensor of a respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles,

a time that the at least one light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle, and

a location of the respective vehicle at the time that the at least one light intensity value was measured;

obtaining a baseline light intensity value for at least one street light at the location;

combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location;

comparing the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value; and

generating an indication of a degradation of performance of the at least one street light based on the comparing of the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the degradation of the performance indicates a reduction in an expected light output of the at least one street light.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the degradation of the performance indicates that the at least one street light has stopped working such that no light is output from the at least one street light.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an outwards-facing light sensor integrated into a windshield of the respective vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the reporting data based on a sunset time and a sunrise time at the location of the respective vehicle where the at least one light intensity value was measured.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein filtering the reporting data comprises generating the combined light intensity data based on light intensity values only measured between the sunset time and the sunrise time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location comprises weighting the light intensity values included in the reporting data based on an estimated non-street light illumination.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein weighting the light intensity value comprises determining the estimated non-street light illumination based on a respective time that the light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein weighting the light intensity value comprises determining the estimated non-street light illumination by determining a probability that there was an oncoming vehicle to the respective vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the probability that there was an oncoming vehicle to the respective vehicle comprises determining a type of road that the respective vehicle was traveling on when the light intensity value was measured.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the probability that there was an oncoming vehicle to the respective vehicle comprises determining the probability based on previously received reporting data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the baseline light intensity value for the at least one street light comprises establishing the baseline light intensity value from manufacturer data of the at least one street light.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the baseline light intensity value for the at least one street light comprises establishing the baseline light intensity value from previously received reporting data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the location included in the reporting data comprises a position fix of the respective vehicle when the light intensity value was measured.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving reporting data from a plurality of vehicles, wherein the reporting data comprises;

at least one light intensity value measured by at least one sensor of a respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles,

a time that the at least one light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle, and

a location of the respective vehicle at the time that the at least one light intensity value was measured;

means for obtaining a baseline light intensity value for at least one street light at the location;

means for combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location;

means for comparing the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value; and

means for generating an indication of a degradation of performance of the at least one street light based on the comparing of the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location comprises means for weighting the light intensity values included in the reporting data based on an estimated non-street light illumination.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for weighting the light intensity value comprises means for determining the estimated non-street light illumination based on at least one of:

a respective time that the light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle; and

a probability that there was an oncoming vehicle to the respective vehicle.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one processor and the at least one memory being configured to direct the apparatus to;

receive reporting data from a plurality of vehicles, wherein the reporting data comprises;

at least one light intensity value measured by at least one sensor of a respective vehicle of the plurality of vehicles,

a time that the at least one light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle, and

a location of the respective vehicle at the time that the at least one light intensity value was measured;

obtain a baseline light intensity value for at least one street light at the location;

combine the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location;

compare the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value; and

generate an indication of a degradation of performance of the at least one street light based on a comparison of the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory are further configured to direct the apparatus to weight the light intensity values included in the reporting data based on an estimated non-street light illumination.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory are further configured to determine the estimated non-street light illumination based on at least one of:

a respective time that the light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle; and

a probability that there was an oncoming vehicle to the respective vehicle.