Geographical positioning in time

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9865171-B2
Application number	US-201615040548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2016
Priority date	Feb 12, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A dispatch control system includes a data store with records of previously-attended geographical positions of a mobile unit indicating at least a duration of attendance. The dispatch control system is configured to calculate one or more stochastic characteristics for the durations of attendance representative of a variability of the durations of attendance at said past geographical positions, and generate data indicative of an order of attendance for the mobile unit based on travel and estimated durations of attendance. This data is re-ordered and volatility metrics for each set of modified data are determined. The set of volatility metrics is used to modify the data indicative of an order of attendance for the mobile unit. The dispatch control system is configured to transmit to the mobile unit data indicative of geographical positions corresponding to said modified generated data for use in generating routing instructions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dispatch control system for controlling geographical positions in time of one or more mobile units, each mobile unit comprising a vehicle, the dispatch control system comprising:
a data store comprising records of first geographical positions, said first geographical positions being geographical positions previously attended by the one or more mobile units, said records indicating at least a duration of attendance at each previously attended geographical position;
a processing system, the processing system configured to cause at least one computing device to perform a scheduling process for at least one said mobile unit, the scheduling process comprising:
calculating one or more stochastic characteristics for the durations of attendance based on the records stored in the data store, the one or more measured stochastic characteristics being representative of a variability of the durations of attendance at said previously attended geographical positions;
generating data indicative of an order of attendance for said mobile unit at a plurality of second geographical positions in a predefined time period based on travel times between said second geographical positions and estimated durations of attendance at said second geographical positions, wherein the estimated durations of attendance are based on the calculated one or more stochastic characteristics for the durations of attendance;
accessing said generated data indicative of the order of attendance for said mobile unit and calculating a plurality of values for a volatility metric corresponding to the order of attendance data, each value of the volatility metric being associated with a valid re-ordering of attendance of said mobile unit at one or more geographical positions in the plurality of second geographical positions; and
modifying said generated data based on a comparison of the plurality of values for the volatility metric;

wherein the dispatch control system is configured to transmit to said mobile unit data indicative of geographical positions corresponding to said modified generated data, the transmitted data for use in generating routing instructions, which, when executed by a processor associated with the mobile unit, cause navigation of the mobile unit between physical locations associated with the geographical positions corresponding to said modified generated data.

2. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein the dispatch control system is configured to transmit, to the mobile unit, real-time variable route planning data for processing by the processor associated with the mobile unit.

3. The dispatch control system of claim 2 , wherein the real-time variable route planning data comprises at least one of real-time street level routing data, real-time traffic data, and real-time weather data.

4. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein the processor associated with the mobile unit is configured within one of:
an electronic positioning device associated with the mobile unit; or
the mobile unit, wherein the processor is further configured to execute a navigation application; or
a telematics unit of the mobile unit, the telematics unit being operable to autonomously navigate the mobile unit, wherein the mobile unit is an automated vehicle.

5. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein a duration of attendance at a given previously attended geographical position is measured by comparing position data from the processor associated with the mobile unit with data indicative of the given geographical position.

6. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is configured to cause at least one computing device to calculate one or more stochastic characteristics for the durations of attendance based on the records stored in the data store using the steps of:
determining at least one probability distribution type for the durations of attendance based on the records stored in the data store; and
determining one or more parameters for the at least one probability distribution type based on the records stored in the data store.

7. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein:
the records of first geographical positions comprise a mobile unit identifier;
the one or more stochastic characteristics comprise one or more stochastic characteristics that are a function of the mobile unit identifier; and
the scheduling process comprises:
determining a set of mobile units for which a probability of a sampled value for the durations of attendance exceeds a predetermined value;
responsive to the said mobile unit being within the set of mobile units, for a given re-ordering of attendance, determining that the given reordering is valid based on one or more constraints, said one or more constraints comprising at least a limit on total travel time for attendance at the plurality of second geographical positions; and
responsive to the said mobile unit not being within the set of mobile units, for a given re-ordering of attendance, determining that the given re-ordering is valid based on said one or more constraints and a probability of failure of attendance at a given geographical position within the given re-ordering.

8. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more stochastic characteristics comprise a mean value of duration and a measure of variation from said mean value; and
wherein the estimated durations of attendance are based on the mean value plus a factor calculated based on the measure of variation.

9. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein calculating the plurality of values for the volatility metric in the scheduling process comprises:
re-ordering attendance of said mobile unit such that attendance at one of said second geographical positions associated with a predefined level of duration volatility is ordered after attendance at one of said second geographical positions associated with a predefined limit of duration variability;
wherein said duration volatility and duration variability are based on the calculated one or more stochastic characteristics.

10. The dispatch control system of claim 1 , wherein the scheduling process further comprises:
calculating a competency metric for the mobile unit or each mobile unit based on repeat attendance by the mobile unit or each mobile unit at a group of one or more first geographical positions; and
using said competency metric to determine a mobile unit to attend a particular one of said second geographical positions.

11. A computer-implemented method for controlling time variability in a dispatch system, the dispatch system having one or more mobile units and events for said one or more mobile units to attend, an event having a start time, a variable duration and a geographical position, each mobile unit comprising a vehicle, the method comprising:
for data indicative of a sequence of proposed future events, identifying a volatile event within the data that has a start time value before a start time value of a critical event, wherein:
the volatile event has one or more measured stochastic characteristics for a variable duration that matches a predefined stochastic profile;
the predefined stochastic profile is indicative of a probability of a sampled value for the variable duration exceeding an estimated value;
estimated values of duration are used for events within the data indicative of the sequence of proposed future events; and
the critical event has the start time within one or more predefined variability limits;

determining if the start time value of the volatile event is modifiable to a time value that is not before the start time value of the critical event,

Assignees

• Trimble Inc

Inventors

• Fletcher Brian
• Inglis Paul
• Laithwaite Robert
• O'Reilly John
• Selensky Evgeny
• Sexton Paul

Classifications

• G08G1/096844

  where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data · CPC title

• G08G1/202 Primary

  Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching · CPC title

• G06Q10/00

  Administration; Management · CPC title

• G08G1/096827

  where the route is computed onboard · CPC title

• G06Q10/063116

  Schedule adjustment for a person or group · CPC title