Real-time traffic condition measurement using GPS data

• US 8,380,429 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edward H. Nortrup
• Original Assignee: Edward H. Nortrup
• Inventors: Nortrup, Edward H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/295,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059573A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701/400, 701/408, 701/410, 701/412, 701414-423
• US Class Current: 701/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• 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 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• 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 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• 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 1/052 : with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 : Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• 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 1/096741 : 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 1/096811 : where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 : where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 : according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 : to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 : including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 : Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 : for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention, a computer program may use GPS coordinates associated with cell phones located within multiple cars to measure real time traffic conditions. These traffic conditions may be measured based at least in part on using parameters including, but not limited to, a time of day, a day of the week, a weather condition, a road condition, or some other parameter relating to traffic conditions. The traffic conditions may be used to calculate a vehicle speed between two locations and predict related travel time. The real-time traffic condition information may be manually accessed by a user from their cell phone or automatically presented to a user'"'"'s cell phone when the cell phone enters a specific geographic location or region.

Claims

1. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, performs the steps of:

Step One;

identifying a first location, at time one, of a plurality of automobiles using a first set of GPS coordinates that are associated with a cell phone to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

indentifying a second location, at a time two, subsequent to time one, for each of the plurality of automobiles using a second set of GPS coordinates that are associated with the cell phone to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

calculating a vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles using the first location at time one and the second location at time two;

using the calculated vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles to create a traffic condition measure for a route in proximity to the first and second locations; and

Step Two;

iteratively performing Step One, in real-time, at a time interval to calculate a real-time traffic condition measure;

receiving a user request from a user'"'"'s cell phone for traffic condition information associated with the route;

wherein the user'"'"'s request is automatically generated from the cell phone upon detection of the cell phone by a cell tower in proximity to the first and second locations; and

presenting the real-time traffic condition measure to the display of the user'"'"'s cell phone.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic condition measure is measure of traffic density.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the measure of traffic density is used to predict a travel time.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the travel time prediction is based at least in part on the measure of traffic density and at least one parameter.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the at least one parameter is a time of day corresponding to the real-time calculation of the traffic condition measure.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the at least one parameter is a day of the week corresponding to the real-time calculation of the traffic condition measure.

7. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the at least one parameter is a weather condition corresponding to the real-time calculation of the traffic condition measure.

8. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the at least one parameter is a road condition corresponding to the real-time calculation of the traffic condition measure.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic condition measure presented to the display of the user'"'"'s cell phone is created upon receipt of the user'"'"'s request.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the user request is a manual request.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic condition measure presented to the display of the user'"'"'s cell phone derives from a second user'"'"'s prior request for the same traffic information.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second user'"'"'s request is a manual request.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second user'"'"'s request is an automated request that is sent from the second user'"'"'s cell phone upon the second user'"'"'s cell phone entering a geographic location.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the geographic location is a geographic region.

15. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, performs the steps of:

Step One;

identifying a first location, at time one, of a plurality of automobiles using a first set of GPS coordinates that are associated with a cell phone to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

indentifying a second location, at a time two, subsequent to time one, for each of the plurality of automobiles using a second set of GPS coordinates that are associated with the cell phone to locate the cell phone within each of the plurality of automobiles;

calculating a vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles using the first location at time one and the second location at time two;

using the calculated vehicle speed for each of the plurality of automobiles to create a traffic condition measure for a route in proximity to the first and second locations;

Step Two;

iteratively performing Step One, in real-time, at a time interval to calculate a real-time traffic condition measure;

receiving a user request from a user'"'"'s cell phone for traffic condition information associated with the route, wherein the user'"'"'s request is automatically generated from the cell phone upon detection of the cell phone by a cell tower in proximity to the first and second locations; and

presenting the real-time traffic condition measure to the display of the user'"'"'s cell phone, wherein the presented real-time traffic condition measure is selected from a plurality of real-time traffic conditions measures based at least in part on the presented real-time traffic condition measure containing traffic data relating to a geographic area in proximity to the cell phone tower from which the user'"'"'s request was received.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the presented real-time traffic condition measure is calculated upon receipt of the user'"'"'s request.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the presented real-time traffic condition measure was calculated prior to receiving the user'"'"'s request.