Method of processing positioning data

• US 9,297,664 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Hilbrandie, Geert, Schfer, Ralf-Peter, Mieth, Peter, Atkinson, Ian Malcom, Wolf, Martin, Rutten, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US12/734,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,715 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701/400, 701408-415, 701/423, 701532-534, 701 23- 26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A method is disclosed, for processing positioning data to generate map data which includes a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in the area covered by the map, with each segment being arranged to have speed data associated therewith. In at least one embodiment, the method includes classifying the speed data associated with at least some, and generally each, navigable segment having speed data associated therewith into a category of a classification having a plurality of categories into which the speed data can be classified according to a parameter of a navigable segment with which the speed data is associated; generating a category average for each category within the classification; assessing at least some, and generally each, navigable segment within the map data to determine whether there is speed data associated therewith; and if there is no speed data associated with a navigable segment, using the category average, according to the parameter of the navigable segment being processed, as the speed data for the navigable segment being processed.

Claims

1. A method of processing positioning data to generate map data within a map, the map comprising a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in an area covered by the map associated with each segment, the method comprising:

generating a measured speed profile for each navigable segment from received trace data, the measured speed profile being representative of a set of average speeds for each of a plurality of time periods for the navigable segment;

classifying each navigable segment into one of a plurality of predetermined categories according to a parameter of the navigable segment;

generating a category average speed for each category within the classification;

for each of one or more of the navigable segments,

performing a quality assessment of the measured speed profile for the navigable segment to determine if the measured speed profile is of a predetermined quality;

when the measured speed profile is of the predetermined quality, using the measured speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment;

when the measured speed profile is not of the predetermined quality, determining if an average of speed data for the navigable segment meets a first threshold;

when the average of the speed data meets the first threshold, generating a replacement speed profile for the navigable segment based on the average of the speed data and using the replacement speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment;

when the average of the speed data does not meet the first threshold, using the corresponding category average speed as the speed data for the navigable segment, wherein using the category average speed comprises determining that the category average speed meets a second threshold; and

processing the speed data associated with each navigable segment to generate said map data.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises an initially receiving captured Global Positioning System (GPS) data by way of uploading GPS data from at least one Portable Navigation Devices (PND) and processing the GPS data to generate the speed data associated with one or more navigable segments.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein each time period is one of a day or an hour.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing cluster analysis on the measured speed profiles in order to generate a set of cluster generated speed profiles.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising:

mapping the speed data associated with at least some navigable segment to a cluster generated speed profile.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the speed data associated with at least some navigable segment is replaced with a reference to the cluster generated segment.

7. A method according to claim 4, wherein the cluster generated speed profiles are normalised according to a parameter.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

storing, for the navigable segment, the parameter used to normalise the cluster generated speed profile in the map data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the normalised cluster generated speed profiles are used for two or more different road classes.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the set of cluster generated speed profiles is flat, and said category average speed associated with a navigable segment is mapped to the flat cluster generated speed profile.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality assessment is determined using an absolute number of readings associated with the speed data or a standard deviation of the speed data.

12. A machine comprising:

a processor arranged to process map data comprising a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in the area covered by a map, the processor being arranged to;

generate a measured speed profile for each navigable segment from received trace data, the measured speed profile being representative of a set of average speeds for each of a plurality of time periods for the navigable segment;

classify each navigable segment into one of a plurality of predetermined categories according to a parameter of the navigable segment;

generate a category average speed for each category within the classification;

for each of one or more of the navigable segments,

perform a quality assessment of the measured speed profile for the navigable segment to determine if the measured speed profile is of a predetermined quality;

when the measured speed profile is of the predetermined quality, use the measured speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment;

when the measured speed profile is not of the predetermined quality, determine if an average of speed data for the navigable segment meets a first threshold;

when the average of the speed data meets the first threshold, generate a replacement speed profile for the navigable segment based on the average of the speed data and use the replacement speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment; and

when the average of the speed data does not meet the first threshold, use the corresponding category average speed as the speed data for the navigable segment, wherein using the category average speed comprises determining that the category average speed meets a second threshold; and

process the determined speed data associated with each navigable segment to generate said map data.

13. The machine of claim 12, further comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in the area covered by the map data and speed data being associated with each navigable segment.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed performs the method of processing positioning data to generate map data within a map, the map comprising a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in an area covered by the map associated with each segment the method executed by the contained instructions comprising:

generating a measured speed profile for each navigable segment from received trace data, the measured speed profile being representative of a set of average speeds for each of a plurality of time periods for the navigable segment;

classifying each navigable segment into one of a plurality of predetermined categories according to a parameter of the navigable segment;

generating a category average speed for each category within the classification;

for each of one or more of the navigable segments,

performing a quality assessment of the measured speed profile for the navigable segment to determine if the measured speed profile is of a predetermined quality;

when the measured speed profile is of the predetermined quality, using the measured speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment;

when the measured speed profile is not of the predetermined quality, determining if an average of speed data for the navigable segment meets a first threshold;

when the average of the speed data meets the first threshold, generating a replacement speed profile for the navigable segment based on the average of the speed data and using the replacement speed profile as the speed data for the navigable segment;

when the average of the speed data does not meet the first threshold, using the corresponding category average speed as the speed data for the navigable segment, wherein using the category average speed comprises determining that the category average speed meets a second threshold; and

processing the speed data associated with each navigable segment to generate said map data.