Road traffic optimization system

• US 9,947,222 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bouzid, Makram, Aghasaryan, Armen, Betge-Brezetz, Stephane, Piekarec, Sophie
• Primary Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US14/355,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20140303888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• 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

Abstract

To optimize road traffic within an application server (SA) providing itineraries recommended to users connected to said application server from communication terminals (TC), each recommended itinerary being provided to a user based on a profile of the user containing the departure date or arrival date, the departure location and the arrival location, the application server compares the itineraries recommended to users whose indicated departure date belongs to a given interval time, produces a set of users whose corresponding recommended itineraries have at least one itinerary segment of given length in common, and modifies an itinerary recommended to at least one user who belongs to said set of users.

Claims

1. A method for modifying an itinerary recommended by an application server providing recommended itineraries to users connected to said application server from communication terminals, each recommended itinerary being provided to a user based on a user profile containing the departure or arrival date, and the departure and arrival location, comprises the following within the application server:

comparing the itineraries recommended to users whose starting date belongs to a given interval of time,

producing a set of users whose compared recommended itineraries have at least one itinerary segment of given length in common,

identifying potential congestion of one or more road segments after users are grouped into the set of users;

modifying an itinerary recommended to at least one user belonging to said set of users, wherein the modifying takes into account one or more users in said set of users who did not follow a recommended itinerary and departure date, and wherein the modifying is performed as a function of the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users, road congestion forecasts and statistics, and historical road congestion in order to reduce the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users; and

transmitting a modified itinerary to a communication terminal of the at least one user for display to the user;

whereby said set of users contains a minimum number of users whose compared recommended itineraries have an itinerary segment with a minimum length in common; and

whereby the recommended itinerary is modified by changing the departure date.

2. A method according to claim 1, whereby said itinerary segment also has the feature of comprising road portions that have a risk of being congested with road traffic.

3. A method according to claim 1, whereby said itinerary segment is determined based on information retrieved by the application server regarding the state of road traffic and the state of the roads.

4. A method according to claim 1, whereby the recommended itinerary is modified by changing at least one segment of the itinerary.

5. A method according to claim 1, whereby the recommended itinerary is modified based on preferences and constraints related to the user'"'"'s profile.

6. A method according to claim 1, whereby the itineraries recommended to users are updated by the application server based on at least one actual departure date indicated by a user.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein changing the departure date comprises delaying the departure date.

8. An application server that modifies recommended itineraries to users connected to said application server from communication terminals, each recommended itinerary being provided to a user based on a profile of the user containing the departure date or arrival date, the departure location or arrival location, the application server comprising:

a processor programmed to;

compare the itineraries recommended to the users whose departure date belongs to a given interval of time,

produce a set of users whose compared recommended itineraries have at least one itinerary segment of given length in common,

identify potential congestion of one or more road segments after users are grouped into the set of users;

modify an itinerary recommended to at least one user belonging to said set of users, wherein the modifying takes into account one or more users in said set of users who did not follow a recommended itinerary and departure date, wherein the modifying is performed as a function of the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users, road congestion forecasts and statistics, and historical road congestion in order to reduce the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users; and

transmit a modified itinerary to a communication terminal of the at least one user for display to the user;

whereby said set of users contains a minimum number of users whose compared recommended itineraries have an itinerary segment with a minimum length in common; and

whereby the recommended itinerary is modified by changing the departure date.

9. A computer program capable of being implemented within an application server to optimize road traffic, said application server modify itineraries recommended to users connected to said application server from communication terminals, each recommended itinerary being provided to a user based on a profile of the user containing the departure date or arrival date, the departure location and the arrival location, said program comprising instructions which, when the program is loaded and executed within said application server, carry out the following:

comparing the itineraries recommended to users whose starting date belongs to a given interval of time,

producing a set of users whose compared recommended itineraries have at least one itinerary segment of given length in common,

identifying potential congestion of one or more road segments after users are grouped into the set of users;

modifying an itinerary recommended to at least one user belonging to said set of users, wherein the modifying takes into account one or more users in said set of users who did not follow a recommended itinerary and departure date, wherein the modifying is performed as a function of the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users, road congestion forecasts and statistics, and historical road congestion in order to reduce the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users; and

transmitting a modified itinerary to a communication terminal of the at least one user for display to the user;

whereby said set of users contains a minimum number of users whose compared recommended itineraries have an itinerary segment with a minimum length in common; and

whereby the recommended itinerary is modified by changing the departure date.

10. A computer program for modifying recommended itineraries via a server network providing itineraries recommended to users connected at least to a server of the server network from communication terminals, each recommended itinerary being provided to a user based on a profile of the user containing the departure or arrival date, the departure location and arrival location, said program comprising instructions that, when the program is loaded and executed at least partially in at least one server of the server network, carry out the following:

comparing the itineraries recommended to users whose starting date belongs to a given interval of time,

producing a set of users whose compared recommended itineraries have at least one itinerary segment of given length in common,

identifying potential congestion of one or more road segments after users are grouped into the set of users;

modifying an itinerary recommended to at least one user belonging to said set of users, wherein the modifying takes into account one or more users in said set of users who did not follow a recommended itinerary and departure date, wherein the modifying is performed as a function of the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users, road congestion forecasts and statistics, and historical road congestion in order to reduce the identified potential road congestion caused by the set of users; and

transmitting a modified itinerary to a communication terminal of the at least one user for display to the user;

whereby said set of users contains a minimum number of users whose compared recommended itineraries have an itinerary segment with a minimum length in common; and

whereby the recommended itinerary is modified by changing the departure date.