Learning road feature delay times based on aggregate driver behavior

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9257042-B2
Application number	US-201113046650-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2011
Priority date	Mar 11, 2010
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

Techniques are described for generating and using information regarding road traffic in various ways, including by obtaining and analyzing road traffic information regarding actual behavior of drivers of vehicles on a network of roads. Obtained actual driver behavior information may in some situations be analyzed to determine actual delays for vehicles encountering various particular road features in the network of roads, such as for identified decision points at which drivers face choices corresponding to possible alternative routes through the network of roads (e.g., intersections, highway exits and/or entrances, etc.) and/or for other traffic flow impediments. The identified and determined information from the analysis may then be used in various manners, including in some situations to assist in determining particular recommended or preferred routes of vehicles through the network of roads based at least in part on actual driver behavior information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a plurality of roads in a geographic area, the plurality of prior vehicle trips involving a plurality of drivers of vehicles and each reflecting actual prior behavior of one of the plurality of drivers in traveling between a starting location in the geographic area and an ending location in the geographic area, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple data samples reported by a device in the vehicle as the vehicle travels between the starting and ending locations for that vehicle trip, wherein the device in the vehicle has GPS (“geographical positioning system”) capabilities and is at least one of a mobile device of a user who is in the vehicle or a part of a navigation system for the vehicle, and wherein each of the data samples indicates a road location and an associated time when the vehicle is at the indicated road location;
identifying multiple traffic flow impediments that each is a structural part of one of the plurality of roads and restricts traffic flow on that one road during at least some times to speeds below a posted maximum speed for that one road;
automatically analyzing the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments based on actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the automatically analyzing being performed by at least one of one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of the traffic flow impediments:
determining an expected amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment by a vehicle based on an average speed of traffic for the road of which the traffic flow impediment is a structural part;
identifying multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that travel past the traffic flow impediment;
for each of the identified multiple prior vehicle trips, determining an amount of actual delay for the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip by calculating a numerical difference between an actual amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and the expected traversal time amount for the traffic flow impediment, the actual amount of the traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip being based in part on a first time at which a first road location of one of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is before the traffic flow impediment and on a later second time at which a second road location of another of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is past the traffic flow impediment; and
averaging the determined actual delay amounts for the identified multiple prior vehicle trips in order to generate the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment; and

after the determining of the actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments, automatically using the determined actual time delays to improve routing of additional vehicle trips through the geographic area, the using of the determined actual time delays being performed by at least one of the one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of multiple requests for a route between two indicated locations in the geographic area:
identifying multiple alternative paths between the two indicated locations for the request, the identified multiple alternative paths including one or more of the traffic flow impediments;
evaluating each of the identified multiple alternative paths based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments, and selecting a preferred one of the identified multiple alternative paths based on the evaluating; and

providing the selected one alternative path as the route for the request, the one alternative path being selected based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified multiple traffic flow impediments each includes at least one of a traffic signal light, a traffic stop sign, or an intersection of two or more roads.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments further includes, for each of one or more of the traffic flow impediments:
determining multiple different time periods of interest; and
for each of the multiple different time periods, selecting a subset of the identified multiple prior vehicle trips traveling past the traffic flow impediment that correspond to the time period of interest, and generating a determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment for the time period by using the determined amount of actual delay for the traffic flow implement for the selected subset of identified multiple prior vehicle trips, and wherein the generated determined actual time delays for the traffic flow impediment for the multiple different time periods have multiple differing values.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips along the plurality of roads includes receiving a plurality of data samples that are generated by a plurality of vehicles, the received plurality of data samples including the multiple data samples for each of the plurality of prior vehicle trips, and includes analyzing the received plurality of data samples to identify at least the plurality of prior vehicle trips for use in the determining of the actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one programmed computing systems that perform the automatic analyzing of the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments are part of an automated driver behavior analysis system, and wherein the at least one programmed computing systems that perform the automatic using of the determined actual time delays to improve routing of additional vehicle trips through the geographic area are part of an automated route selection system.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by one or more programmed computing systems of an automated driver behavior analysis system, information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a plurality of roads in a geographic area by a plurality of drivers of vehicles and each reflecting actual prior behavior of one of the plurality of drivers in traveling between locations in the geographic area, wherein the received information includes, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple road locations of the vehicle for that vehicle trip and of an associated time for each of the indicated road locations, and wherein the indications of the multiple road locations of the vehicle for the vehicle trip are generated by a device in the vehicle that has location determination capabilities and that is at least one of a mobile device of a user who is in the vehicle or a part of a navigation system for the vehicle;
identifying, by the one or more programmed computing systems, multiple traffic flow impediments that each is a structural feature of one of the plurality of roads and restricts traffic flow on that one road during at least some times to speeds below an average speed for that one road;
automatically analyzing, by the one or more programmed computing systems, the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays associated with each of the identified traffic flow impediments based on actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the automatically analyzing including, for each

Assignees

• Scofield Christopher L
• Cahn Robert
• Wang Weimin Mark
• Barker Alec
• Leidle Robert Frederick
• Inrix Inc

Inventors

• Scofield Christopher L
• Cahn Robert
• Wang Weimin Mark
• Barker Alec
• Leidle Robert Frederick

Classifications

• G01C21/3415

  Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents · CPC title

• G08G1/0104 Primary

  Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions · CPC title

• G01C21/3492

  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 title

• G08G1/0129

  for creating historical data or processing based on historical data · CPC title

• G08G1/096827

  where the route is computed onboard · CPC title