System for sensing road and traffic conditions
First Claim
1. A traffic sensing system for collecting information on traffic conditions, the system comprising:
- a traffic sensing server for receiving traffic reports from mobile traffic sensing devices and providing aggregate traffic reports from the received traffic reports; and
a plurality of mobile traffic sensing devices for sensing traffic-related information near the devices and sending traffic reports to the traffic sensing server, the mobile traffic sensing devices being smart phones being transported by vehicles, each smart phone being arbitrarily oriented in a vehicle, each smart phone including an accelerometer and a cellular communication device, a component that determines the orientation of the accelerometer based on a direction of travel of the vehicle transporting the smart phone as indicated by a braking force of the vehicle and based on a direction of gravity as indicated by a gravitational force, the orientation being determined even though the accelerometer is included in a smart phone that is arbitrarily oriented in the vehicle, a component that samples the accelerometer, and a component that derives traffic-related information from the accelerometer samples.
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Abstract
A traffic sensing system for collecting information on traffic conditions is provided. A traffic sensing system includes a traffic sensing server and a mobile traffic sensing device that sends traffic reports to the traffic sensing server. An MTS device may use an accelerometer integrated into a smart phone to detect potholes, to detect when the vehicle is braking, to detect whether the MTS device is being transported via a vehicle or a pedestrian, to detect horns sounding, and so on. The MTS device reports the various conditions to the traffic sensing server for accurate assessment of traffic conditions at stretches of road through which vehicles transporting MTS devices travel.
39 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A traffic sensing system for collecting information on traffic conditions, the system comprising:
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a traffic sensing server for receiving traffic reports from mobile traffic sensing devices and providing aggregate traffic reports from the received traffic reports; and a plurality of mobile traffic sensing devices for sensing traffic-related information near the devices and sending traffic reports to the traffic sensing server, the mobile traffic sensing devices being smart phones being transported by vehicles, each smart phone being arbitrarily oriented in a vehicle, each smart phone including an accelerometer and a cellular communication device, a component that determines the orientation of the accelerometer based on a direction of travel of the vehicle transporting the smart phone as indicated by a braking force of the vehicle and based on a direction of gravity as indicated by a gravitational force, the orientation being determined even though the accelerometer is included in a smart phone that is arbitrarily oriented in the vehicle, a component that samples the accelerometer, and a component that derives traffic-related information from the accelerometer samples. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A traffic sensing system for collecting information on traffic conditions, the system comprising:
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a traffic sensing server that receives traffic reports from mobile traffic sensing devices and provides aggregate traffic reports generated from the received traffic reports; and a plurality of mobile traffic sensing devices that each includes; a cellular phone with a microphone; a global positioning system device; an accelerometer; and a component that generates and sends traffic reports while the mobile traffic sensing device is being transported via a vehicle, the mobile traffic sensing device having an arbitrary orientation within the vehicle, the component including; a component that determines a current orientation of the accelerometer of the mobile traffic sensing device that has an arbitrary orientation in the vehicle, a component that samples the accelerometer and the global positioning system device, a component that derives traffic-related information from the accelerometer based on the current orientation and the global positioning device samples, and a component that samples the microphone as an indicator of ambient noise around the vehicle.
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19. A cellular phone for collecting information on traffic conditions, the cellular phone comprising:
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a microphone; a global positioning system device; an accelerometer; a personal-area wireless network interface; a memory storing computer-executable instructions of a component that generates and sends traffic reports while the cellular phone is being transported in a vehicle by determining orientation the accelerometer, sampling the accelerometer, the global positioning system device, and the microphone, inputting traffic reports via the personal-area wireless network interface from neighboring cellular phones that collect information about traffic conditions, and deriving traffic-related information from the accelerometer, the global positioning system device, and the microphone samples and the traffic reports input from neighboring cellular phones; and a processor executing the instructions stored in the memory.
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Specification