Method for choosing a traffic route

• US 8,531,312 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2012
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Triangle Software LLC (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gueziec, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US13/561,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/906, 340/907, 340/995.24, 340/995.27, 340/994, 340/988, 701/414, 701/520, 701/522, 701/468, 701/517
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• 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 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• 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 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• 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 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system for identifying a fastest possible travel route is disclosed. A traveler data processor collects traffic speed data and associates the traffic speed data with road segments. The road segments collectively represent one or more possible travel routes from a start point to an end point. A forecast engine determines a predicted travel time for each of the road segments based on, for example, the traffic speed data for each of the road segments. A routing engine determines the fastest possible travel route from the start point to the end point. The fastest possible travel route is the possible travel route from the one or more possible travel routes with the shortest predicted travel time.

Claims

1. A method for choosing a traffic route, the method comprising:

identifying a start point and an end point;

identifying a series of traffic segments between the start point and the end point, the traffic segments including at least two possible routes between the start point and the end point;

receiving traffic speed data associated with the identified series of traffic segments;

predicting the travel time for each of the identified series of traffic segments;

identifying a total travel time for each of the at least two possible routes based on the prediction of travel time for each of the identified series of traffic segments;

indicating the fastest possible travel route between the start point and the end point

updating the traffic speed data associated with the identified series of traffic segments; and

generating an alert when the total travel time for the fastest possible travel route has exceeded a predefined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating that the fastest possible travel route is no longer the fastest possible travel route based on the updated traffic speed data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying the next fastest possible travel route.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the next fastest possible travel route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fastest possible travel route is displayed in three dimensions.