CLOUD-MEDIATED VEHICLE NOTIFICATION EXCHANGE FOR LOCALIZED TRANSIT EVENTS

• US 20170084175A1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Inrix Incorporated
• Inventors: Sedlik, Scott, Laghaeian, Raymond, Pendergrast, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/123,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20170084175A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0531 Measuring skin impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4845 Toxicology, e.g. by detection of alcohol, drug or toxic products A61B5/4848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0872 Driver physiology
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1044 Output speed change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/08 related to drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 : of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 : for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 : Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 : using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 : using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 : Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 : Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 : output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 : associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 : Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 : Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 : Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 : Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 : Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 : Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 : using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 : from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• 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 1/0145 : for active traffic flow control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/065 : by counting the vehicles in a section of the road or in a parking area, i.e. comparing incoming count with outgoing count
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 : Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 : Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 : having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 : responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 : where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 : where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 : where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 : where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/097 : Supervising of traffic control systems, e.g. by giving an alarm if two crossing streets have green light simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 : specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 : Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/60 : based on actual use of network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 : for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 : Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Vehicles in transit within a location may transmit and/or receive information about transit events arising within the location, such as accidents, developing weather, and road obstructions. Because localized exchange channels, such as a radiofrequency broadcast, may be range-limited and/or unreliable, a centralized service may be provided to facilitate the exchange of notifications about transit events, but it may be difficult to provide a centralized service that is both scalable to millions of vehicles and capable of low-latency exchange of time-sensitive notifications for transit events. The techniques presented herein provide an architecture for broadcasting transit events through a transit service that maintains vehicle area groups, respectively identifying the vehicles that are associated with each location. The service may receive a notification of a transit event for a location, and may utilize the vehicle area group for the location to broadcast the notification to the other vehicles of the area group.

Claims

1. A method of broadcasting localized transit events detected during transit of a vehicle, the method involving a device having a processor and in communication with a transit service and comprising:

executing, on the processor, instructions that cause the device to;

detect a location of the vehicle;

transmit the location to the transit service to add the vehicle to a vehicle area group for the location;

upon detecting a transit event in the location of the vehicle, transmit the transit event to the transit service for broadcasting to other vehicles of the vehicle area group; and

upon receiving from the transit service a notification of a transit event for the vehicle area group, utilize the notification in the transit of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein utilizing the notification in the transit of the vehicle further comprises:

presenting the notification to a user within the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle further comprises a window; and

presenting the notification to the user further comprises;

displaying the notification on the window of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the transit event relates to a route of the transit of the vehicle; and

utilizing the notification in the transit of the vehicle further comprises;

adjusting the route of the vehicle in response to the transit event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the transit of the vehicle is controlled by a vehicle control system according to a driving behavior profile; and

utilizing the notification in the transit of the vehicle further comprises;

adjusting the driving behavior profile of the vehicle control system in response to the transit event.

6. A server that provides a transit service to vehicles, the server comprising:

a processor;

a vehicle communicator that communicates with the vehicles; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, provide a system comprising;

a vehicle area group manager that, upon receiving a location of a vehicle, adds the vehicle to a vehicle area group for the location; and

a transit event broadcaster that, upon receiving, from a vehicle, a transit event for the location;

identifies at least one other vehicle of the vehicle area group; and

broadcasts to the at least one other vehicle of the vehicle area group a notification of the transit event.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises:

a vehicle anonymizer that;

identifies, in the notification of the transit event, a vehicle identifier that identifies the vehicle that transmitted the transit event; and

removes the vehicle identifier from the notification of the transit event.

8. The server of claim 6, wherein the server adds the vehicle to the vehicle area group by:

upon receiving from the vehicle a first location;

determining whether a vehicle area group exists for the first location;

upon determining that a vehicle area group does not exist for the first location, creating a vehicle area group for the first location; and

upon receiving from the vehicle a second location;

determining whether the second location is associated with the vehicle area group; and

upon determining that the second location is not associated with the vehicle area group, removing the vehicle from the vehicle area group for the first location.

9. The server of claim 6, wherein the server further comprises:

a vehicle area group evaluator that, upon receiving a notification of a transit event for the location;

identifies a second location that is affected by the transit event;

identifies at least one vehicle of a second vehicle area group for the second location; and

broadcasts the notification of the transit event to the at least one vehicle of the second vehicle area group.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein:

the second location features a detour option for avoiding the location of the transit event; and

broadcasting the notification of the transit event to the second vehicle area group further comprises;

adding to the notification a recommendation to take the detour option to avoid the location of the transit event.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises:

a first responder notifier that;

identifies a first responder that provides a first response service relating to the transit event for the location; and

transmits the notification of the transit event to the first responder.

12. The server of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises:

a transit event verifier that, upon receiving the notification of the transit event;

identifies a second vehicle of the vehicle area group that is capable of verifying the transit event, and

transmits to the second vehicle a request to verify the transit event; and

broadcasting the notification to the vehicle area group further comprises;

broadcasting the notification of the transit event to the at least one other vehicle of the vehicle area group only after receiving a verification of the transit event from the second vehicle.

13. The server of claim 6, wherein:

the vehicle communicator comprises an internet connection that communicates with a device of the vehicle through the internet using a websocket protocol;

the vehicle area group manager adds the vehicle to the vehicle area group by allocating a websocket to communicate with the vehicle through the internet using the websocket protocol; and

the transit event broadcaster broadcasts the notification of the transit event to the respective at least one other vehicle through the websocket for the other vehicle.

14. A vehicle device that broadcasts localized transit events detected during transit of a vehicle, the vehicle device comprising:

a processor;

a location detector that detects a location of the vehicle;

a transit service communicator that communicates with a transit service;

a transit event detector that detects a transit event in the location of the vehicle; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the vehicle device to provide a system comprising;

a transit service interface that;

transmits the location, via the transit service communicator, to add the vehicle to a vehicle area group for the location, and

transmits, via the transit service communicator, the transit event for broadcasting to other vehicles of the vehicle area group; and

a local event notifier that, upon receiving from the transit service a notification of a transit event for the vehicle area group, utilizes the notification in the transit of the vehicle.

15. The vehicle device of claim 14, wherein:

the transit service communicator further comprises an internet connection through which the transit service communicator communicates with the transit service using a websocket protocol; and

the local event notifier receives the notification from the transit service through a websocket of the websocket protocol allocated to communicate with the transit service.

16. The vehicle device of claim 14, wherein the transit event detector further comprises:

a proximity sensor that generates proximity data indicating a proximity of the vehicle to a second vehicle; and

a proximity data evaluator that evaluates the proximity data to identify the transit event.

17. The vehicle device of claim 14, wherein the transit event detector further comprises:

a localized broadcast channel monitor that receives a notification of a localized transit event over a localized broadcast messaging channel.

18. The vehicle device of claim 17, wherein the transit service interface transmits, via the transit service communicator, the notification of the localized transit event received over the localized broadcast messaging channel.

19. The vehicle device of claim 14, wherein the system further comprises:

a local transit event rebroadcaster that locally rebroadcasts the notification of the transit event over a localized broadcast messaging channel.

20. The vehicle device of claim 14, wherein:

the vehicle is in communication with a second vehicle of the location through a local vehicle communicator; and

the system further comprises;

a local transit event notifier that transmits the notification of the transit event to the second vehicle through the local vehicle communication.