Method and apparatus for road segment traffic tendency determinations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12573289-B2
Application number	US-202217576226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2022
Priority date	Jan 14, 2022
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

A method, apparatus and computer program product are provided to estimate a road segment traffic tendency determination value. A current traffic speed pattern data object may be generated for an initial location of a vehicle and a future traffic speed pattern data object may be generated for an estimated downstream location of the vehicle. A road segment traffic tendency determination value may then be estimated based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object and the future traffic speed pattern data object. A road segment traffic tendency notification may be provided to the vehicle.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1 . A method for estimating a road segment traffic tendency
determination value, the method comprising: determining, responsive to a request from a user device, one or more navigational instructions comprising a route from an origin point to a destination point; receiving, via a network, one or more vehicle attribute data objects from one or more vehicles within a proximity of an initial location of a vehicle; generating a current traffic speed pattern data object for the initial location of the vehicle based on the one or more vehicle attribute data objects, wherein the current traffic speed pattern data object comprises at least one of a current traffic speed pattern attribute, a current speed moving average attribute, or a current speed attribute; receiving, via the network, one or more upstream vehicle attribute data objects from one or more vehicles within a proximity of an estimated upstream location of the vehicle; generating a future traffic speed pattern data object for the vehicle at an estimated downstream location based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object and the one or more upstream vehicle attribute data objects, wherein the future traffic speed pattern data object comprises at least one of an estimated traffic speed pattern attribute, an estimated speed moving average attribute, or an estimated speed attribute; estimating a road segment traffic tendency determination value based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object and the future traffic speed pattern data object, wherein the road segment traffic tendency determination value is indicative of a road segment traffic tendency category; and updating the one or more navigational instructions based at least in part on the road segment traffic tendency determination value indicative of the road segment traffic tendency category and causing the one or more navigational instructions, as updated, to be provided to the vehicle, wherein the one or more navigational instructions comprise instructions to avoid the estimated downstream location.

2 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining the estimated downstream location for the vehicle based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object for the vehicle and a future horizon timestamp change value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
determining one or more comparison values by comparing one or more attributes described by the current traffic speed pattern data object to one or more attributes described by the future traffic speed pattern data object; and determining whether the one or more comparison values satisfy one or more comparison value thresholds, wherein estimating the road segment traffic tendency determination value based at least in part on whether the one or more comparison values satisfy the one or more comparison value thresholds.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of candidate road segment traffic tendency categories may include a traffic increasing category, a traffic decreasing category, or no change category.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the road segment traffic tendency notification further comprises the future horizon timestamp change value and a downstream location value corresponding to the future traffic speed pattern data object.

6 . An apparatus comprising:
processor circuitry; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to: determine, responsive to a request from a user device, one or more navigational instructions comprising a route from an origin point to a destination point; receive, via a network, one or more vehicle attribute data objects from one or more vehicles within a proximity of an initial location of a vehicle; generate a current traffic speed pattern data object for the initial location of the vehicle based on the one or more vehicle attribute data objects, wherein the current traffic speed pattern data object comprises at least one of a current traffic speed pattern attribute, a current speed moving average attribute, or a current speed attribute; receive, via the network, one or more upstream vehicle attribute data objects from one or more vehicles within a proximity of an estimated upstream location of the vehicle; generate a future traffic speed pattern data object for the vehicle at an estimated downstream location based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object and the one or more upstream vehicle attribute data objects, wherein the future traffic speed pattern data object comprises at least one of an estimated traffic speed pattern attribute, an estimated speed moving average attribute, or an estimated speed attribute; estimate a road segment traffic tendency determination value based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object and the future traffic speed pattern data object, wherein the road segment traffic tendency determination value is indicative of a road segment traffic tendency category; and update the one or more navigational instructions based at least in part on the road segment traffic tendency determination value indicative of the road segment traffic tendency category and cause the one or more navigational instructions, as updated, to be provided to the vehicle, wherein the one or more navigational instructions comprise instructions to avoid the estimated downstream location.

7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to:
determine the estimated downstream location for the vehicle based at least in part on the current traffic speed pattern data object for the vehicle and a future horizon timestamp change value.

8 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to:
determine one or more comparison values by comparing one or more attributes described by the current traffic speed pattern data object to one or more attributes described by the future traffic speed pattern data object; and determine whether the one or more comparison values satisfy one or more comparison value thresholds, wherein estimating the road segment traffic tendency determination value based at least in part on whether the one or more comparison values satisfy the one or more comparison value thresholds.

9 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a plurality of candidate road segment traffic tendency categories may include a traffic increasing category, a traffic decreasing category, or no change category.

10 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the road segment traffic tendency notification further comprises the future horizon timestamp change value and a downstream location value corresponding to the future traffic speed pattern data object.

11 . A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions configured to:
determine responsive to a request from a user device, one or more navigational instructions comprising a route from an origin point to a destination point; receive, via a network, one or more vehicle attribute data objects from one or more vehicles within a proximity of an initial location of a vehicle; generate a current traffic

Assignees

• Here Global Bv

Inventors

• Bradley Corinne
• Sheynman Arnold
• Jackson Kyle

Classifications

• G08G1/052

  with provision for determining speed or overspeed {(speed measuring in general G01P)} · CPC title

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title

• G08G1/0141

  for traffic information dissemination · 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