Roadway condition predictive models

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10916129-B2
Application number	US-201715418839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2017
Priority date	Jan 30, 2017
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

A roadway condition predictive model that can recommend ameliorative roadway action(s) is disclosed. A roadway controller computer acquires sensor and location information, which describe physical driving surface conditions on the roadway, from a plurality of vehicles that travel on the roadway. The roadway controller computer also acquires environmental and traffic conditions for the roadway. The roadway controller computer creates a predictive model that describes a deterioration rate and future physical condition of the roadway, based on the acquired sensor, location information, environmental and traffic conditions for the roadway. The roadway controller computer then implements an action to ameliorate deterioration of the roadway that is predicted by the predictive model.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
acquiring, by a roadway controller computer, sensor and location information, wherein the sensor and location information describe physical driving surface conditions of a roadway, wherein the sensor and location information is generated by pressure sensors within tires of a plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway;
creating, by the roadway controller computer, a predictive model that describes a deterioration rate and future physical condition of the roadway based on acquired sensor and location information generated by the pressure sensors within the tires of the plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway;
comparing information in the predictive model to a database of previous information that describes a level of deterioration of the roadway;
determining that the information in the predictive model is different from the previous information in the database that describes the level of deterioration of the roadway;
determining that the roadway is flooding based on the information in the predictive model being different from the previous information in the database that describes the level of deterioration of the roadway; and
implementing an amelioration action to reduce deterioration of the roadway based on determining that the roadway flooding.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the amelioration action is directing vehicular on-board navigation systems to reroute vehicular traffic in order to reduce an amount of vehicular traffic on the roadway.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the amelioration action is performing preventive maintenance on the roadway.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor and location information is further generated by and transmitted from accelerometers within smart phones being transported in a plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor and location information is further generated by sensors that are affixed to the plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
pre-processing, by the roadway controller computer, the sensor and location information to establish an average description of the physical driving surface conditions of the roadway.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
training, by one or more processors, the pressure sensors to automatically capture the sensor and location information to the roadway controller computer in response to sensor readings from the pressure sensors exceeding predefined limits that are indicative of a degraded roadway.

8. A computer implemented method comprising:
acquiring, by a roadway controller computer, sensor and location information from sensors on a plurality of vehicles traveling on a roadway, wherein the sensor and location information indicate a presence and location of a pothole on the roadway;
determining different pothole measurements of a depth and shape of the pothole based on the sensor and location information from the sensors on the plurality of vehicles traveling on the roadway;
generating a description of the depth and shape of the pothole by smoothing out the sensor and location data from the sensors on the plurality of vehicles in order to generate an average description of the depth and shape of the pothole;
creating, by the roadway controller computer, a predictive model that describes a deterioration rate and future physical condition of the roadway based on the average description of the depth and shape of the pothole; and
implementing an amelioration action on the pothole in order to reduce deterioration of the roadway as caused by the pothole, wherein the amelioration action is based on the predictive model.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:
acquiring, by a roadway controller computer, sensor and location information from sensors on a plurality of vehicles that are traveling on a roadway, wherein the sensor and location information describe a current physical condition and location of a depressed manhole cover on the roadway, wherein the depressed manhole cover is below a surface of the roadway, and wherein the sensor and location information is generated by the sensors as each of the plurality of vehicles reach the depressed manhole cover on the roadway;
receiving driver data information that describes past multiple driver reactions to driving over the depressed manhole cover on the roadway, wherein the past multiple driver reactions adjusted movements of the multiple vehicles when reaching the depressed manhole cover;
determining a current physical condition of the depressed manhole cover based on the the sensor and location information from the sensors on the plurality of vehicles that are traveling on a roadway and the driver data information that describes the past multiple driver reactions;
creating, by the roadway controller computer, a predictive model that describes a deterioration rate and future physical condition of the roadway based on acquired sensor and location information that describes the current physical condition and location of the depressed manhole cover; and
implementing an amelioration action to reduce deterioration of the roadway that is predicted by the predictive model.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the sensor and location information is further generated by sensors in suspensions of the plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway, and wherein the sensors in the suspensions measure up and down movement in the suspensions that is caused by the physical surface conditions of the roadway.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a predefined quantity of vehicles running over a pothole in the roadway during a predefined amount of time; and
adjusting the predictive model based on the predefined quantity of vehicles running over the pothole in the roadway during the predefined amount of time.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
further generating, by microphones within smart phones being transported in the plurality of vehicles that are traveling on the roadway, the sensor and location information, wherein the microphones detect sounds that correspond to the physical driving surface conditions of the roadway.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Castelli Vittorio
• Franz Martin
• Kundu Gourab
• Moon Taesun
• Sil Avirup

Classifications

• H04L67/52

  specially adapted for the location of the user terminal · CPC title

• G08G1/096811

  where the route is computed offboard · CPC title

• G08G1/096741

  where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle · CPC title

• G08G1/096716

  where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control · CPC title

• G08G1/096775

  where the origin of the information is a central station · CPC title