Generating segment data

• US 9,685,076 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Mieth, Peter, Lorkowski, Stefan, Schfer, Ralf-Peter, Witte, Nikolaus
• Primary Examiner(s): MUSTAFA, IMRAN K
• Application Number:
  US13/983,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701414, 701423
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• 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 1/0129 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 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09685 where the complete route is computed only once and not updated
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A method of processing data relating to an electronic map, the map comprising a plurality of segments representing navigable segments in the area covered by the map, the method comprising using a processing apparatus to generate segment data and comprising the steps of: collecting historic travel data for the segment; defining a jam condition for the segment, such that where the jam condition is satisfied the segment is classified as jammed and otherwise as not jammed; generating a jam probability for the segment according to the historic travel data and the jam condition definition; generating a jam speed for the segment using the historic travel data, the jam speed being indicative of the speed on the segment when the segment is considered jammed; and associating the jam probability and the jam speed with the segment in the electronic map.

Claims

1. A method of generating and using segment data for a segment of an electronic map, the electronic map being representative of a network in an area covered by the electronic map and comprising a plurality of segments, each segment representing a navigable segment of the network, the method comprising using a processing apparatus to:

collect historic travel data for the segment of the electronic map relating to the movement of a plurality of navigation devices along the navigable segment of the network represented by the segment, and using the historic travel data to generate a plurality of speeds of travel across the segment;

generate a free-flow speed for the segment using at least some of the plurality speeds of travel, wherein said free-flow speed is an average speed of travel across the segment during a period of time in which there is no or substantially little traffic on the navigable segment of the network;

define a jam condition for the segment, such that where the jam condition is satisfied the segment is classified as jammed and otherwise as not jammed, the jam condition being a jam threshold speed, wherein the jam threshold speed is a selected percentage of the free-flow speed for the segment;

generate a jam probability for the segment, wherein the jam probability is representative of the likelihood of a jam on the navigable segment represented by the segment, and wherein the jam probability is calculated based on a ratio of speeds of travel across the segment above the jam threshold speed to speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

generate a jam speed for the segment using at least some of the plurality of speeds of travel, the jam speed being indicative of the speed on the segment when the segment is classified as jammed, wherein the jam speed is a selected percentage or mode of speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

associate the jam probability and the jam speed with the segment in the electronic map, the segment data for the segment comprising the jam probability and the jam speed; and

use at least the segment data for the segment to at least one of;

generate and provide a route across the electronic map; and

determine and/or predict the existence of a jam on a navigable segment of the network and issue a jam warning.

2. A method according to claim 1 where the selected percentage of the free-flow speed is between 30% and 70%.

3. A method according to claim 1 where the historic travel data is grouped according to time of recordal allowing the generation of multiple time dependent jam probabilities for the segment.

4. A method according to claim 3 where jam probabilities are calculated according to or are at least influenced by one or more of:

(i) the time of the year;

(ii) the day of the week;

(iii) the time of day; and

(iv) the occurrence of a particular event or situation.

5. A method according to claim 1 where the jam speed is the average of substantially all speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed.

6. A method according to claim 1 where the speeds of travel across the segment form a multi-modal distribution, and the jam speed is a lower mode of the distribution.

9. A method according to claim 1 where the selected percentage of the free-flow speed is between 40% and 60%.

10. A method according to claim 1 where the selected percentage of the free-flow speed is substantially 50%.

7. A system arranged to generate and use segment data for a segment of an electronic map, the electronic map being representative of a network in an area covered by the electronic map and comprising a plurality of segments, each segment representing a navigable segment of the network, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, and the system being arranged to;

collect historic travel data for the segment of the electronic map relating to the movement of a plurality of navigation devices along the navigable segment of the network represented by the segment, and using the historic travel data to generate a plurality of speeds of travel across the segment;

generate a free-flow speed for the segment at at least some of the plurality speeds of travel, wherein said free-flow speed is an average speed of travel across the segment during a period of time in which there is no or substantially little traffic on the navigable segment of the network;

define a jam condition for the segment, such that where the jam condition is satisfied the segment is classified as jammed and otherwise as not jammed, the jam condition being a jam threshold speed, wherein the jam threshold speed is a selected percentage of the free-flow speed for the segment;

generate a jam probability for the segment, wherein the jam probability is representative of the likelihood of a jam on the navigable segment represented by the segment, and wherein the jam probability is calculated based on a ratio of speeds of travel across the segment above the jam threshold speed to speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

generate a jam speed for the segment using at least some of the plurality of speeds of travel, the jam speed being indicative of the speed on the segment when the segment is classified as jammed, wherein the jam speed is a selected percentage or mode of speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

associate the jam probability and the jam speed with the segment in the electronic map, the segment data for the segment comprising the jam probability and the jam speed; and

use at least the segment data for the segment to at least one of;

generate and provide a route across the electronic map; and

determine or predict the existence of a jam on a navigable segment of the network and issue a jam warning.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of generating and using segment data for a segment of an electronic map, the electronic map being representative of a network in an area covered by the electronic map and comprising a plurality of segments, each segment representing a navigable segment of the network, the method comprising:

collecting historic travel data for the segment of the electronic map relating to the movement of a plurality of navigation devices along the navigable segment of the network represented by the segment, and using the historic travel data to generate a plurality of speeds of travel across the segment;

generating a free-flow speed for the segment at at least some of the plurality speeds of travel, wherein said free-flow speed is an average speed of travel across the segment during a period of time in which there is no or substantially little traffic on the navigable segment of the network;

defining a jam condition for the segment, such that where the jam condition is satisfied the segment is classified as jammed and otherwise as not jammed, the jam condition being a jam threshold speed, wherein the jam threshold speed is a selected percentage of the free-flow speed for the segment;

generating a jam probability for the segment, wherein the jam probability is representative of indicating the likelihood of a jam on the navigable segment represented by the segment, and wherein the jam probability is calculated based on a ratio of speeds of travel across the segment above the jam threshold speed to speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

generating a jam speed for the segment using at least some of the plurality of speeds of travel, the jam speed being indicative of the speed on the segment when the segment is classified as jammed, wherein the jam speed is a selected percentage or mode of speeds of travel across the segment below the jam threshold speed;

associating the jam probability and the jam speed with the segment in the electronic map, the segment data for the segment comprising the jam probability and the jam speed; and

using at least the segment data for the segment to at least one of;

generate and provide a route across the electronic map; and

determine or predict the existence of a jam on a navigable segment of the network and issue a jam warning.