Estimation of roadway travel information based on historical travel data

• US 9,360,342 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ignatin, Gary R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/604,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20150233728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A system for navigation along a desired route on a desired future date may include a map interface operable to display a traffic condition and a travel time received via a communication network, and an automobile navigation network communicatively coupled to the communication network. The automobile navigation network may estimate the traffic condition and the travel time for travel along the desired route on the desired future date based on historical travel information, current traffic information and current weather information. Information regarding the estimated travel conditions may be automatically communicated to the map interface. The traffic condition may include geographic location information and/or route information. The historical travel information may include historical traffic information.

Claims

1. An automobile navigation system for specifying future travel information for travel along a desired route on a future date, the automobile navigation system comprising:

a processor configured to estimate future travel conditions associated with the desired route on the future date and to correlate the future travel information with historical travel information to perform the estimation; and

a data storage that stores real-time travel information, the real-time time travel information being used to determine the estimated future travel conditions.

2. The automobile navigation system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to generate the estimated future travel conditions upon receiving a request for the future travel information.

3. The automobile navigation system of claim 2, wherein the request for the future travel information comprises at least one of a request for travel information associated with a future geographic location, a future time information, or a future route information.

4. The automobile navigation system of claim 2, wherein the request for the future travel information comprises a request for future traffic and weather conditions along the desired route on the future date.

5. The automobile navigation system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to correlate the future traffic and weather conditions with historical traffic and weather conditions along the desired route to estimate the future travel conditions.

6. The automobile navigation system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to correlate the future traffic and weather conditions with current travel information to estimate the future travel conditions.

7. The automobile navigation system of claim 4, wherein the request for the future travel information further comprises a request for an estimate of a fastest route between a first location and a second location for an event occurring on the future date, and wherein the processor is further configured to analyze historical travel information for the event.

8. The automobile navigation system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to estimate the future travel conditions based on historical travel information and travel conditions of the event of a previous year.

9. The automobile navigation system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to process the real-time travel information to determine travel conditions along the fastest route from the first location to the second location, and to update the fastest route when the real-time travel information for travel conditions is different from the estimated future travel conditions.

10. The automobile navigation system of claim 1, wherein the data storage stores the real-time travel information as the historical travel information after a predetermined period of time.

11. A method for specifying future travel information for travel along a desired route on a future date, comprising:

storing real-time travel information in an electronic data storage;

estimating future travel conditions associated with the desired route on the future date, wherein the real-time time travel information is used to determine the estimated future travel conditions; and

correlating the future travel information with historical travel information to perform the estimation.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating the estimated travel conditions upon receiving a request for the future travel information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the request for the future travel information comprises a request for future traffic and weather conditions along the desired route on the future date.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising correlating the future traffic and weather conditions with historical traffic and weather conditions along the desired route to estimate the future travel conditions.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising correlating the future traffic and weather conditions with current travel information to estimate the future travel conditions.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the request for the future travel information further comprises a request for an estimate of a fastest route between a first location and a second location for an event occurring on the future date.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising estimating the future travel conditions based on historical travel information and travel conditions of the event of a previous year.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising processing the real-time travel information to determine travel conditions along the fastest route from the first location to the second location and updating the fastest route when the real-time travel information for travel conditions is different from the estimated future travel conditions.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the real-time travel information as the historical travel information after a predetermined period of time.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the request for the future travel information comprises at least one of a request for travel information associated with a future geographic location, a future time information, or a future route information.