Method and system for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data and information and applying thereof

• US 20060069496A1
• Filed: 11/15/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Inventors: Feldman, Israel, Eshpar, Allon, Lotem, Amnon, Meltzer, Yochai, Trinker, Arie
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

A method and system for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data and information, comprising: (a) transforming a spatial representation of a road network into a network of spatially interdependent and interrelated oriented road sections, for forming an oriented road section network; (b) acquiring a variety of the vehicular traffic data and information associated with the oriented road section network, from a variety of sources; (c) prioritizing, filtering, and controlling, the vehicular traffic data and information acquired from each of the variety of sources; (d) calculating a mean normalized travel time (NTT) value for each oriented road section of said oriented road section network using the prioritized, filtered, and controlled, vehicular traffic data and information associated with each source, for forming a partial current vehicular traffic situation picture associated with each source; (e) fusing the partial current traffic situation picture associated with each source, for generating a single complete current vehicular traffic’ situation picture associated with entire oriented road section network; (f) predicting a future complete vehicular traffic situation picture associated with the entire oriented road section network; and (g) using the current vehicular traffic situation picture and the future vehicular traffic situation picture for providing a variety of vehicular traffic related service applications to end users.

Claims

1. A method for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data, comprising the steps of:

generating a representation of a road network associated with the vehicular traffic data, the road network comprising a plurality of road sections; and

acquiring vehicular traffic data associated with said road network from at least a plurality of mobile sensors in communication with a wireless telecommunication network, wherein acquiring vehicular traffic data comprises selecting a sample comprising vehicle-carried mobile sensors from the plurality of mobile sensors and tracking locations of mobiles sensors of said sample over the road network, the method further including a procedure for protecting privacy of individuals associated with said vehicle-carried mobile sensors by deleting the identities of said identified mobile sensors and/or by deleting said locations of mobile sensors of said tracked mobile sensors following processing.

2. A system for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data, comprising:

a mechanism for representing a road network associated with the vehicular traffic data and information, the road network comprising a plurality of road sections; and

software for acquiring vehicular traffic data associated with said road network from a sample of a plurality of mobile sensors in communication with a cellular wireless telecommunications network, the software comprising instructions for selecting said sample and for tracking locations of mobile sensors of said sample over the road network, the system further comprising a mechanism for protecting the privacy of individuals associated with said vehicle-carried mobile sensors by keeping the identities of relevant mobile sensors within said wireless cellular telecommunications network.

4. The system of claim 2, comprising an interface for receiving location data and/or information provided by a server of a mobile wireless telecommunications network.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said vehicle-carried mobile sensors are selected from the group consisting of:

computer devices;

cellular phone devices;

vehicle anti-theft devices; and

combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said software obtains locations of said mobile sensors from said wireless communications system in known time intervals.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein a path of a vehicle on the road network is determined in terms of a plurality of said road sections.

8. The system of claim 2, further capable of identifying said mobile sensors having a relatively fast movement indicating vehicular movement.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said mobile sensors include cellular mobile telephones and/or computers in communication with a wireless cellular telecommunications network, and wherein software identifies said mobile cellular devices whose cell transition and/or handover rates indicate a relatively fast movement indicative of vehicular movement.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said mobiles sensors include mobile vehicle anti-theft devices and wherein said software identifies said mobile vehicle anti-theft devices indicating ignition activation potentially indicating vehicular movement.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein said tracking is performed by polling said locations of said mobile sensors in known time intervals.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein said software further performs the step of filtering out said mobile sensors that are recognized as noise.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein said software further performs the step of preventing said tracking of said mobile sensors that stop moving for a predetermined time interval.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein said software further performs the step of preventing said tracking of said mobile sensors that have travelled beyond the bounds of a sensible route.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein said software maintains said tracking within locating capacity of said wireless telecommunications network.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein said software acquires the vehicular traffic data by a procedure selected from the group consisting of:

a push procedure;

a pull procedure; and

, combinations thereof;

said push procedure is a mode of said acquiring the vehicular traffic data and information initiated by said mobile sensors, and, said pull procedure is a mode of said acquiring the vehicular traffic data and information initiated by a software module sampling said mobile sensors.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein said tracking is controlled according to a predefined and updated policy selected from the group consisting of:

not to track too many said vehicles in a same region of said road network;

focus said tracking on a certain problematic region of said road network;

stop said tracking said vehicles that stopped for a pre-determined time interval;

collect the vehicular traffic data and information within a certain limited capacity of a said wireless telecommunications network; and

, combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein said road network is represented as a geographical information system (GIS) road network.

19. The system of claim 2, wherein each said road section of said road network represents a road section having a single vehicular traffic continuation option located at a head end road junction, said road section represents a unit featuring a plurality of consecutive road segments of said road network, said consecutive road segments positioned head-to-tail relative to each other are located between two road junctions, a tail end road junction and a said head end road junction, within said road network, and are characterized by similar vehicular traffic data and information, and, said single vehicular traffic continuation option refers to one of various vehicular traffic flow options said each vehicle may take within said road network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said vehicular traffic continuation option is selected from the group consisting of continuing to travel straight, taking a right turn, and, taking a left turn, from a said road segment joined or linked to a said head end road junction.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein, when lanes in various said road segments within said road section network are assigned to turning traffic, respective said road sections may yield different vehicular traffic data and information.

22. The system of claim 2, wherein a particular traffic situation or scenario characterizing a particular road section is interdependent and interrelated with other particular said traffic situations or scenarios characterizing other particular said road sections of said road section network.

23. The system of claim 2, wherein vehicular traffic data and information is sourced from a variety of sources, and wherein the variety of sources of the vehicular traffic data and information is selected from the group consisting of:

fixed sensors;

of mobile sensors;

traffic reports by police;

radio broadcasts of the vehicular traffic data and information;

historical and event related vehicular traffic data and information;

other sources of the vehicular traffic data and information; and

combinations thereof.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein each said source is characterized by a variable level of accuracy.

25. The system of claim 2, arranged to provide input to a variety of vehicular traffic related Service applications selected from the group consisting of:

finding optimal routes between given points of said road network;

finding alternative routes between given points of said road network;

estimating travel times between given points of said road network;

initiating alerts and route alterations when unexpected traffic events change said current vehicular traffic situation picture; and

, combinations thereof.

3. A system for modeling and processing vehicular traffic data, comprising:

a mechanism for representing a road network associated with the vehicular traffic data and information, the road network comprising a plurality of road sections; and

software for acquiring vehicular traffic data associated with said road network from a sample of a plurality of mobile sensors in communication with a cellular wireless telecommunications network, the software comprising instructions for selecting said sample and for tracking locations of mobile sensors of said sample over the road network, the system further comprising a mechanism for protecting the privacy of individuals associated with said vehicle-carried mobile sensors by deleting the identities of relevant mobile sensors and/or by deleting said locations of said tracked mobile sensors following processing.