Estimating time travel distributions on signalized arterials

• US 8,781,718 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pelmorex Canada Inc.
• Inventors: Rojas, Edgar, Gueziec, Andre, Adda, Kevin, Margulici, J. D.
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/752,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 701/119, 701/411, 701/414
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data

Abstract

A system is provided for estimating time travel distributions on signalized arterials. The system may be implemented as a network service. Traffic data regarding a plurality of travel times on a signalized arterial may be received. A present distribution of the travel times on the signalized arterial may be determined. A prior distribution based on one or more travel time observations may also be determined. The present distribution may be calibrated based on the prior distribution.

Claims

1. A system for estimating time travel distributions on signalized arterials, comprising:

a processor;

memory; and

an application stored in memory and executable by the processor to;

receive travel data, about a signalized arterial collected by one or more reidentification devices, the travel data corresponding to data collected within a common time segment in each of a plurality of different days,

normalize the travel data into a plurality of individual pace values, the pace values expressed as a ratio of time per distance,

calculate an average pace value for the signalized arterial as a linear combination of the individual pace values weighted by distance traveled across the signalized arterial,

estimate a distribution based on the average pace value,

store the estimated distribution in memory,

receive real-time travel data about the signalized arterial collected by one or more reidentification devices,

calibrate the distribution based on the real-time travel data, and

generate a real-time prediction of the traffic conditions of the signalized arterial based on the calibrated distribution.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel data is received from one or more mobile GPS devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel data is received from one or more reidentification devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the reidentification device is a magnetic signature.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the reidentification device is a toll tag.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the reidentification device is a license plate.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the reidentification device is a Bluetooth receiver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the travel data is received from a third-party server that collected the data.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is an open-source server.