Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Generic control system – apparatus or process – Digital positioning
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-28
2003-11-18
Gordon, Paul P. (Department: 2121)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Generic control system, apparatus or process
Digital positioning
C701S117000, C701S118000, C701S213000, C340S995130, C340S995140, C340S995190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650948
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the monitoring of vehicular traffic flow in a road network, and more particularly to the generation of traffic congestion reports.
With ever increasing road traffic levels there is a particular need for the rapid generation of traffic congestion reports in order to enable a rapid response thereto such as action to remove the cause of traffic congestion, and avoiding action by road users approaching an area of traffic congestion.
Existing methods generally depend on physical detection of the vehicles by direct visual observation or by using various kinds of sensors such as cameras or proximity sensors embedded in the roadway etc. The former approach can provide only extremely limited coverage due to the large number of personnel required, while the latter requires the installation in the road network of a very extensive and expensive infrastructure.
It is an object of the present invention to avoid or minimise one or more of the above problems or disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a vehicular traffic flow monitoring method for monitoring vehicular traffic flow in a road network in an area served by a mobile telecommunications device network having a call management system provided with a mobile telecommunications device positioning system providing positional data in respect of at least active mobile telecommunications devices belonging to said mobile telecommunications device network, said method comprising the steps of:
a. capturing first geographical positional data for an active mobile telecommunications device in use on a vehicle at a given time t
1
;
b. intersecting said first geographical positional data with road network mapping data defining said road network in terms of road components each representing a discrete part of the road network, so as to identify original possible road components corresponding to said first geographical positional data;
c. generating an initial probability vector representing the likelihood of said vehicle having arrived at a position on a given one of said original possible road components for all of said original possible road components;
d. capturing second geographical positional data for said mobile telecommunications device at a later time t
2
=t
1
+&Dgr;t where &Dgr;t is the actual transit time of said device between said first and second geographical positions;
e. intersecting said second geographical positional data with said road network mapping data, so as to identify new possible road components corresponding to said second geographical positional data;
f. identifying available routes in the road network linking said possible road components corresponding to said first and second geographical positional data which routes are constituted by a series of road components;
g. generating an updated probability vector representing the likelihood of said vehicle having arrived at a position on a given one of said new possible road components in the road network corresponding to said second geographical positional data at said later time t
2
via one of said available routes, for all of said new possible road components;
h. intersecting said available routes with expected average vehicle speed data for the road components of each of said series of road components constituting said available routes so as to determine expected transit times for said available routes;
i. directly or indirectly comparing the actual transit time with the expected transit times for each of said available routes so as to produce delay factors for said routes indicative of the degree of vehicular traffic congestion on the individual road components thereof at the time; and
j. determining an average delay factor for a plurality of vehicles using a given road component, which average is weighted on the basis of at least the likelihood of any of the available routes having been followed.
In another aspect the present invention provides a vehicular traffic monitoring system suitable for use in the method of the present invention and comprising a computer system having:
a storage device; a processor connected to the storage device; and at least one interface connected to the processor, the storage device storing digital mapping information for a road network, expected vehicle speed for road components of said road network, and a database of at least: probability vectors representing the likely positions of moving active mobile telecommunications devices over a period of time and the likely routes thereof to said likely positions, and current road delay factor information;
said at least one interface coupling said processor to a mobile telecommunications device network call management system for interrogating said management system and receiving positioning data for active individual mobile telecommunications device therefrom; and
coupling said processor to user enquiry systems for receiving road traffic delay enquiries from, and transmitting road traffic delay reports to, said user enquiry systems; and the processor operative with the program to:
a) capture geographical positional data for a mobile telecommunications device;
b) intersect said geographical positional data with road network mapping data defining said road network in terms of road components each representing a discrete part of the road network, so as to identify possible road components corresponding to said geographical positional data;
c) generate a probability vector representing the likelihood of said vehicle having arrived at a position on any of said possible road components;
d) identify available routes in the road network linking said possible road components corresponding to a given geographical positional data and preceding possible road component corresponding to a preceding geographical positional data, which routes are constituted by a series of road components;
e) intersect said available routes with expected average vehicle speed data for the road components of said series of road components constituting said available routes so as to determine expected transit times for said available routes;
f) directly or indirectly compare the actual transit time with the expected transit time for each of said available routes so as to produce delay factors for said routes indicative of the degree of vehicular traffic congestion on the individual road component thereof at the time;
g) determine an average delay factor for a plurality of vehicles using a given road component, which average is weighted on the basis of at least the likelihood of a given available route having been followed;
h) repeatedly update said database of moving active mobile telecommunication devices and road components with vehicle position and road delay factor information; and
i) retrieve road delay factor information from said database in response to enquiries from user enquiry systems and provide road delay factor reports thereto.
Thus by means of the present invention it is possible to provide road traffic delay reports for a road network, which are substantially live i.e. based on historical road traffic flows immediately before the reports are generated, using only suitably programmed data processing equipment connected to a mobile telecommunications device network, without the need for providing the road network with any new infrastructure.
As used herein, the expression mobile telecommunications device network indicates any telecommunications device system in which a multiplicity of mobile subscribers (MS) with mobile telecommunications devices (which may be conveniently referred to herein for brevity as MS devices) can communicate with each other and/or fixed-line subscribers via one or more transmitter/receiver stations which may be terrestrial and/or extra-terrestrial.
It will be appreciated that the present invention requires to discriminate not only between mobile telecommunications devices located in or on road vehicles and those located inside buildings or being carried be pedestrians etc., but also betwe
Adam Thomas Bruce Watson
Atkinson Ian Malcolm
Dixon Michael Joseph
Applied Generics Limited
Gordon Paul P.
Kunitz Norman N.
Venable LLP
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