Method and apparatus for providing one or more road conditions based on aerial imagery

• US 9,881,384 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ponder, Joel, Stenneth, Leon Oliver
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES, JOSE
• Application Number:
  US14/566,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30236 Traffic on road, railway or crossing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/182 Network patterns, e.g. roads or rivers

Abstract

An approach is provided for providing one or more road conditions based on aerial imagery. The road condition platform processes and/or facilitates a processing of one or more road segments on an aligned image including an aerial image frame of an area and a reference map of the area to determine one or more non-road elements. The road condition platform also determines one or more characteristics of the one or more non-road elements disposed within the one or more road segments. The road condition platform further determines one or more road conditions based on the one or more characteristics.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

processing one or more road segments on an aligned image including an aerial image frame of an area and a reference map of the area to determine one or more non-road elements;

determining one or more characteristics of the one or more non-road elements disposed within the one or more road segments;

determining one or more road condition based on the one or more characteristics; and

creating the aligned image by aligning the aerial image frame and the reference map based, at least in part, on one or more target markers disposed near ground level in the area,

wherein the one or more target markers includes an identification number, a symmetric binary pattern of alternating reflective and non-reflective properties, or a combination thereof.

2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the aligned image to determine a color property for the one or more road segments; and

processing the aligned image to determine one or more cluster of pixels disposed within the one or more road segments that has a color property different from the color property for the one or more road segments;

wherein the one or more cluster of pixels corresponds to the one or more non-road elements.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more non-road elements include a vehicle;

and wherein the one or more road conditions include a volume of one or more vehicles traveling on a road segment, a density of one or more vehicles traveling on a road segment, a speed of one or more vehicles, a location of one or more vehicles traveling with respect to the one or more road segments, a volume of one or more vehicles parked, a location of one or more vehicles parked with respect to the one or more road segments, or a combination thereof.

4. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

calibrating the one or more road conditions based, at least in part, on historical road condition information.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics include a size of the one or more non-road elements, a shape of the one or more non-road elements, a color property of the one or more non-road elements, a location of the one or more non-road elements with respect to the one or more road segments, or a combination thereof.

6. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more occlusions based, at least in part, on a position of the one or more non-road elements with respect to the one or more road segments; and

removing the one or more occlusions from the one or more non-road elements.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics includes a volume and/or a distribution of the one or more non-road elements and wherein the one or more road conditions includes a speed of the one or more non-road elements determined based on the volume and/or the distribution.

8. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a location of each of the one or more non-road elements in the aligned image with a location of each of the one or more non-road elements in another aligned image, respectively; and

determining a speed of each of the one or more non-road elements based on the comparing.

9. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a location of one or more unique non-road elements in a previous aligned image frame;

determining a location of the one or more unique non-road elements in the aligned image frame;

comparing the location of each of the one or more unique non-road elements in the previous aligned image with a location of each of the unique one or more non-road elements in the aligned image, respectively; and

determining a speed of the one or more non-road elements based on the comparing.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

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;

processing one or more road segments on an aligned image including an aerial image frame of an area and a reference map of the area to determine one or more non-road elements;

determine one or more characteristics of the one or more non-road elements disposed within the one or more road segments;

determine one or more road conditions based on the one or more characteristics; and

creating the aligned image by aligning the aerial image frame and the reference map based, at least in part, on one or more target markers disposed near ground level in the area,

wherein the one or more target markers includes an identification number, a symmetric binary pattern of alternating reflective and non-reflective properties, or a combination thereof.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

processing the aligned image to determine a color property for the one or more road segments; and

processing the aligned image to determine one or more cluster of pixels disposed within the one or more road segments that has a color property different from the color property for the one or more road segments;

wherein the one or more cluster of pixels corresponds to the one or more non-road elements.

12. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more non-road elements include a vehicle, and wherein the one or more road conditions include a volume of one or more vehicles traveling on a road segment, a density of one or more vehicles traveling on a road segment, a speed of one or more vehicles, a location of one or more vehicles traveling with respect to the one or more road segments, a volume of one or more vehicles parked, a location of one or more vehicles parked with respect to the one or more road segments, or a combination thereof.

13. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

calibrating the one or more road conditions based, at least in part, on historical road condition information.

14. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more characteristics include a size of the one or more non-road elements, a shape of the one or more non-road elements, a color property of the one or more non-road elements, a location of the one or more non-road elements with respect to the one or more road segments, or a combination thereof.

15. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine one or more occlusions based, at least in part, on a position of the one or more non-road elements with respect to the one or more road segments; and

removing the one or more occlusions from the one or more non-road elements.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform:

processing one or more road segments on an aligned image including an aerial image frame of an area and a reference map of the area to determine one or more non-road elements;

determining one or more characteristics of the one or more non-road elements disposed within the one or more road segments;

determining one or more road conditions based on the one or more characteristics; and

creating the aligned image by aligning the aerial image frame and the reference map based, at least in part, on one or more target markers disposed near ground level in the area,

wherein the one or more target markers includes an identification number, a symmetric binary pattern of alternating reflective and non-reflective properties, or a combination thereof.

17. A computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

processing the aligned image to determine a color property for the one or more road segments; and

processing the aligned image to determine one or more cluster of pixels disposed within the one or more road segments that has a color property different from the color property for the one or more road segments;

wherein the one or more cluster of pixels corresponds to the one or more non-road elements.