Safe routing for navigation systems

• US 10,563,994 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2019
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chokshi, Karna, Alon, Meron, Jeon, Sangick
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US16/272,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20190170525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

Examples provided herein describe a navigation system to identify routes that take safety considerations into account. The system accesses safety data from various sources and computes safety data for individual road segments of a map database at multiple times for each road segment. The road segment safety data is used when determining routes for requested trips, including estimating the times that the various road segments on the route will be traversed and determining the safety of each road segment at that time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request for a trip;

accessing road segment safety data indicating safety-related data for one or more given road segments of a map database for a plurality of time periods, such that the one or more given road segments each has associated stored safety-related data for each of the plurality of time periods; and

determining a route for the trip using the road segment safety data by;

computing expected times at which the route will traverse road segments on the route;

identifying the safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route; and

determining overall safety scores for the road segments on the route using the identified safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route and using the computed expected times.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the route for the trip using the road segment safety data comprises:

applying a weighted shortest path graph algorithm to the map database and to the determined overall safety scores to select the route.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to receiving the trip request:

identifying potential drivers to carry out the trip request; and

modifying the road segment safety data for the trip using driver ability data corresponding to the identified potential drivers.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising computing a driver interpersonal conflict safety score based on rider reports of prior trips of a driver, wherein the driver ability data for a driver includes the driver interpersonal conflict safety score.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the driver ability data for a driver includes a plurality of scores quantifying an ability of the driver to drive in a corresponding plurality of environmental conditions.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein modifying the road segment safety data comprises:

identifying current environmental conditions for road segments in the map database; and

modifying the road segment safety data for the road segments using the identified current environmental conditions and the plurality of scores quantifying the driver'"'"'s ability to drive in a corresponding plurality of environmental conditions.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to receiving the trip request:

identifying user safety preferences of a rider requesting the trip; and

modifying the road segment safety data for the route using the user safety preferences.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the user safety preferences include weightings corresponding to a plurality of different types of safety risks, and wherein the road segment safety data include weightings corresponding to the plurality of different types of safety risks and indicating degrees of those types of safety risks on the road segments of the map database.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from a rider requesting the trip, a single pre-set option; and

mapping the single pre-set option to the weightings corresponding to the plurality of different types of safety risks.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determined a second route for the trip without using the road segment safety data; and

determining that the route determined using the road segment safety data is more than a threshold degree worse than the second route with respect to a given non-safety metric; and

refraining from using the determined route responsive to determining that the route is more than the threshold degree worse.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

for a plurality of additional requested trips, determining routes for a first plurality of the trips using the road segment safety data and routes for a second plurality of the trips without using the road segment safety data; and

receiving information about occurrences of safety-related incidents on the trips;

assessing accuracy of the road segment safety data by comparing the occurrences of safety-related incidents on the first plurality of trips to the occurrences of safety-related incidents on the second plurality of trips.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using telematics data quantifying activity of vehicles used on trips.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using real-time weather data.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using safety incident data.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using establishment types of establishments located at particular locations, the method further comprising determining safety scores for road segments based on road segments in which the establishments are located and the establishment types.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using traffic volume data.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using schedules of events.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the road segment safety data are computed using satellite imagery.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer processor perform actions comprising:

receiving a request for a trip;

accessing road segment safety data indicating safety-related data for one or more given road segments of a map database for a plurality of time periods, such that the one or more given road segments each has associated stored safety-related data for each of the plurality of time periods; and

determining a route for the trip using the road segment safety data by;

computing expected times at which the route will traverse road segments on the route;

identifying the safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route; and

determining overall safety scores for the road segments on the route using the identified safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route and using the computed expected times.

20. A computer system comprising:

a computer processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by the computer processor perform actions comprising;

receiving a request for a trip;

accessing road segment safety data indicating safety-related data for one or more given road segments of a map database for a plurality of time periods, such that the one or more given road segments each has associated stored safety-related data for each of the plurality of time periods; and

determining a route for the trip using the road segment safety data by;

computing expected times at which the route will traverse road segments on the route;

identifying the safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route; and

determining overall safety scores for the road segments on the route using the identified safety-related data of at least some of the road segments on the route and using the computed expected times.