Google Inc. v. Traffic Information LLC

Filing 52

Brief Plaintiff's Opening Claim Construction Brief. Filed by Google Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A, # 2 Exhibit B, # 3 Exhibit C, # 4 Exhibit D, # 5 Exhibit E part1, # 6 Exhibit E part 2, # 7 Exhibit E part 3, # 8 Exhibit E part 4, # 9 Exhibit E part 5, # 10 Exhibit F part 1, # 11 Exhibit F part 2, # 12 Exhibit G, # 13 Exhibit H) (Markley, Julia)

Google Inc. v. Traffic Information LLC

Doc. 52 Att. 10

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UTILITY PATENT APPLIGATION TRANSMITTAL
(Only for new non-provisional applications urtder 37CFRS1.53{b}}

Attomey

Docket
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Firsl lnvenlor or Application ldentifier Titte lsvsrev FoR PRovtD|NG

lDeKock, I

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TRAFFIC INFoRMATION

Express Mait Labet No- leL sts+zotzo APPLICATION ELEMENTS
See MPEP chapter 6a0 concerning utility palent applicalion contents

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CERTIF'ICATE OF' MAILING BY EXPRESS MAIL
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Express Mail

No.:

EL 915420176 US
February 13, 2003

Date of

Deposit:

I hereby certiflr that the patent application attached hereto entitled SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TRAFFIC INF'ORMATION, DeKock, et al., inventors, is being deposited
with the United Stlates Postal Servicc "Exprcss Mail Post Office to Addressec" sen ice on the
date indicated abovc and is addressed to, Thc Flonorable Commissioner for Patents. Box Patent

Application, Washington, D.C. 2023 l.

Exhibit F Page 3 of 139

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SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TRAFFIC INFORMATION

'

This application is a Contirmation of U.S. Application No. 10i218,850,

filed August 74,2002; which additionally is a conrinuation of

u.s. Application No.

09/55a,476, filed on April 14,2000; which additionally is a continuation of u.S.

Application No. 09/352,156, liled July 12,1999; which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionaiApplication No. 60/130,399 filecl April 19, 1999; U.S. Provisional

l0

Application No. 60/166,868 filed November 22, 1999; and u.S. Provisional Application No. 60/189,913 filed March 16, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVEN]ION
The present invention relates to a system for providing traffic information,
and more particularly a system for providing traflic information to a plurality of mobile

l5

users connectcd to a network.

I

Commuters have a need for information relating to the congestion and

traffic rvhiih they may encounter on a cofirnlute over a road, a highway, or a freeway. Unfbrtunately, the prior art rnethods of providing trafllc information to comnuters do not allow conrmuters to evaluate the extent to which there is congestion on a highrvay on
20

which the commuter maywish to travel.
One known method ofproviding traflic information consists of radio

reports. A radio station may broadcast tralfic reports, such as from a helicopter that
n-ronitors traffic conditions over portions of a freeway. Unfortunately, these reports arc

usually intcrmittcnt in naturc. Accordingly, to hear the report, the commuter must be
25

listening tci the radio station at the time the report is being broadcast on the radio.

Exhibit F Page 4 of 139

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Further, the extent of:the information providcd is severely limited to broad generalizations. For exanrple, the information provided during the broadcast may be

limited to the area being currently viewed by the reporter, or the information may be
based on a previous view at a prior time of another portion of the freeway. Some broadcasts' nray include multiple observers of different portions of the freeway, yet these
10

systems also provide incomplete inlbrmation rclating to overall trafftc patterns. In

addition, the information provided is vague, subjective, and usually limited to broacl
generalities relating to traflic flow.

Another known traffic information system is provided by television
broadcasts. In these systens, television stations may mount video cameras pointed at

l5

certain portions of a fi:eeway, or may broadcast video images liom a helicopter. The television station may periodically broadcast trafiic reports and includc in the traf ic

report a view of different portions of the freeway from the video cameras. Again, this
system provides little useful information to a commuter. The commuter must be

watching the broadcast at the time the information is being transmitted. However, by the
20

time the commuter actually gets into his vehicle and enters a potentially congested area,
the trafllgmay have changed. Further, the information provided is limited to those areas

where the trafiic is being monitored and may consist of stale information. Often the video image is limited to a small portion oFthe road, and shows traffic flowing in a single direction.
25

Yet another method to provide traffrc information is to provide

a website

that is accessible using the Internet that contains traffic information. While these tlpes
systems haVe thc advantage of providing more up to date information, these systems

of

typically provide a map for a large area. Thus, for a person commuting in a car, the
system displays trafl'ic inl'ormation for many areas not of interest to the commuter. In 30

addition, these types of systenrs require manipulation by the commutcr to frnd the

5

Exhibit F Page 5 of 139

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relevant traffic information. For example, while the map may allow the commuter to zoom in on a particular area, the user must provide inputs to the system to instruct the
system to zoom in on a particular area. However, a conrnuter who is actively driving

cannot opcrate a computer and drive at the same time. In addition, these systems rnay rely on nranual entry ofdata received from subjective traffic reports and/or traffic

l0

sensors. Thus this nrethod may adclitionally suffer liom added cost due to manual labor, incorrect entry of data, and slow response to quickly changing trafFrc conditions.
Fan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,959,577, disclose a system for processing

position and travcl related information through a data processing station on a data

network. In particular, Fan et al. teach the use of a GPS receiver to obtain a measured

l5

position

fx of a mobile unit.

The mcasured position fix is reported to the data processing

station which associates the reported position with a map of the area. Typically, the
measured position of the mobile unit is marked and identified by a marker on the map.

The area nrap is then stored in the data processing station and nrade available for access
by authorizecl monitor units or mobilc units. An aul.horized monitor unit may rcqucst a 20

specific area map. This permits shipping conrpanies to nronitor the location of their fleet
and permits the mobile units to identify their current location in relation to a map, which
is particularly suited

for the application of navigation to a particular destination. ln

addition, Fan et al. teach that the measurcd position data transmitted liom the mobile units may be used to calculate the speeds at which the vehicles travel. The collective
25
speed data

fiom the mobile units is then available for use by the monitor units, such

as

those at thb shipping company, to route the vehicles away from traffic congestions and

diversions.r In this manner, the dispatcher at the shipping company, to which Fan et al.
teaches the data is available to, may use the collective speed data to decide which vehicles to contact in order to reroute them.

Exhibit F Page 6 of 139

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4 Westerlage et a1., U.S. Patent Nos. 5,097,377 and 5,987,377, disclose a system for determining an expected time of arrival of a vehicle equipped with a mobile

unit.
Zijderhand, U.S. Patent No. 5,402,117, discloses a method of collecting

traffic information to deterrnins an origin-destination matrice without infringing upon the

t0

privacy oIlhe users. Mandhyan et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,539,645, is related to monitoring movement'of traffic along predetermined routes, where individual moving elements can move with a high degree of discretion as to speed except when congestion, accident or the like limit speeds. Mandhyan et al. uses the deployment of calibrant vehicles for

15

collecting and reporting information which describes vehicle speeds actually being
experienced along the routes of interest where the data are proccssed statistically as a

function of the time of day. The output provides baseline data against which observations at a particular time, category, weather, event, and location can be comparcd,

to identifz the existence of abnormal conditions, and to quantifu the abnomrality. To
20

determine abnormal conditions, Mandhyan et al. teach the use of probe vehicles. In particular, Mandhyan et al. is applicable to monitoring the flow of motor vehicles along
roads which are subject to delays of sufficient frequency and severity that correction

action or d,issemination of infbrmation announcing a delay are economically desirable.

Unfortunately, thc use of probc vehicles may be expensive and the relevancy of the data
25

is limited to the availability of thc probe vehicles. Lappenbusch et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,982,298, disclose a trafftc

information system har.ing selvers that makes traflc data, images, antl vicleo clips
available to a user interlbce on client devices. Lappenbusch et al. envision that the client devices are personal or desktop computers, network computers, set-top boxes, or 30

intelligent televisions. The user intcrface includes a road map showing a plurality of road

Page 7 of 139

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segments that a user can interactively select. Vehicular speed information is provided to the system from trafiic sensors monitoring the traffrc. In addition, thc user interface has a

road image area that changes as the uscr selccts different road segments to show recent
irnages

of a currently selected road segrnent. Unfortunatcly, the system taught by

Lappenbusch et al. is complicated to operate ancl requires significant user interaction to

l0

provide relevant data, which is suitable for such "stationary" traditional computing
devices.

Smith, Jr. et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,774,827, disclose a system to alleviate
the need for sophisticated route guidance systcrns, where the commuter has a positioning system as well as a map database in a car.
1< IJ

A central facility receives and stores current

traffrc information for preselected commuter routes flom various current traffic information sources, such as local policc authorities, toll-way authorities, spotters, or
sensors deployed on the road ways to clctect traffic

flow. To achieve

the elimination

of

sophisticated route guidance systems a portable device receives a travel time only for preselccted commuter routes liom the central facility. In this manner, Smith, Jr. et al. 20 teach that each user receives only the traffic information that is relevant to the user's preselected conmruter routes.

If desired,

the preselected comntuter routes may be

presented as a set of route segments, where each of the segments is coded to indicate

contmute time. In response, the user may choose an alternative route known by hinr that
is different 25

liom any preselected commuter routes. Sndth, Jr, et al. further suggest that a

GPS enabled portable unit for transnritting a present position of the portable device to the

central facility such that the central fbcility uses each present position to calculate at least
a

portion of the current travel information. By matching multiple positions of the

portable deivice with known positions on the preselected route and measuring the time bctween two consecutive matohed positions the central facility can obtain up-to-the
30 rninute traffrc information to be used in broadcastine future travel times to other users

of

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Exhibit F Page 8 of 139

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preselected commuter routes. Unfortunately, the system taught by Smith, Jr. et al.

requires the user to define a set of preselected comnuter routes for each route to be traveled, which may be difficult if the user is unfanriliar with the area. In addition, Smith,

lr.

et at. teach that the user shoulcl select altemative routes that are known to the

user, presumably if the con'[nute time of the preselected commuter routes are too long,

l0

which is difficult if the user is not already familiar with the area.
Pietzsch et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,673,039, disclose a system for dyramic

monitoring of the total traffic in a stretch of road equipped with monitoring and information-provision system, as well as warnings to drivers, and hence the possibility of
regulating the traffrc. The system does not require that the vehicles be equipped with
t5

appropriate sensors and transmitting equipment.

Akutsu et al., lJ.S. Patent No. 5,987,374, disclose a vehicle traveling
guidance system that includes data providing devices laid on a road and a vehicle. The

vehicle includes a data transmitter for sending a data providing device traveling data

of

the vehicle when the vehicle passes over the vicinity of the data providing device and a 20 data receiver for receiving data sent from the data providing device. The traveling data

may include vehicle pass time or vehicle pass time and speed. The data providing
devices laid on the road include a receiver lbr receiving the traveling data from the

vehicle and a transmittcr fbr sending othcr passing vehicles the traveling data. A control
center communicating through the data providing devices laid on the road can use the
25

received trhffrc data from the vehicles to predict the occurrence of traffrc congestion
based on the pass time and speed of a vehicle.

It

is assuned that at a certain point,

vehicles were traveling smoothly at a certain time and the speed of each vehicle has decreased drastically at the next time. In this case it is expected that traffrc congestion

will occur in the vicinity of that point. Therefore, smooth travel can be achieved by, lbr
30

example, communicating to each vehicle data etc. indicating blpasses in order not to

9

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worsen traffrc congestion. 'fherefore, a vehicle operator can gain knorvledge of the traveling state of a vehicle which has already passed over that point and adjust travel considering traffic flow.

While all of the abovs systcms provide some degree of trafftc information for a comrluter, nevertheless the above systems do not provide an effrcient method of

l0

collecting and presenting objective traflic infbrmation to a contnuter. What is desired, therefore, is a system for providing traffic information which allows a cotnmuter to obtain information at any time desired by the conmruter, that provides information
l

relating to h plurality of points along a road, that provides information relating to different traffic levels, that provides information that is particularly relevant to the

l5

commuter,. and that provides the infomration in an easily understood format that may be easily utilized by a commuter while driving.

BRIEF STIMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcornes the limitations of the prior art by

provicling d system for providing traffrc information to a plurality of users connected to a
2A

network. In a first aspect the present invention provides a system comprised of

a

plurality of traffic monitors, each conprising at least a traffic detector and a transmitter,
the traffic detector generating a signal in response to vehicular traffic and the transnritter

transnritting the signal. The systcm also includes a receiver that receives the signals from
the traffic monitors.
25

A computer systenl is connected to the receiver and is also

connected to the network. The computer system, in response to a request signal received

liom one of the users, transmits in response thereto information representative of the
signals transnitted by the traflic monitors.

.

In a second separate aspect of the invention, a systemprovides traffic
a

information to a plurality of users connected to a network. Traffrc is detected at each of

10

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plurality ol'locations along a road and a signal is generated at each of the locations
representative of the tralilc at each of the locations. Each of the signals is transmitted

Iiom each of tlre plurality of locations to a receivcr. These signals are sent from the
receiver to a conlpuler system. The computer system rcccivcs a requcst from one of the
uscrs for traflic information. In response to the request, the computer system transmits

l0

information representative of the traffrc at each of the plurality of locations to the user.

In a third separate aspect of the invention, a system provides traffic
information to a plurality of users connected to a network. The system comprises a

plurality of mobile user stations, each mobile user station being associated with the
disptay, a global positioning system receiver and a communicating device to allow each
15

of the mobile user stations to send and receive signals. A computer system is
interconnectecl with another communicating device in the network. The computer systenl
is capable of sendilrg and receiving signals to thc nrobile user stations using the other

corrmrunicAting device in the network. The computer system maintains a map database and a traffic information database. The traffrc information database contains information
20

representative of lraflic data al a plurality of locations.

At lcast one oIthe mobi]e user

stations provides a request to the computer system for information together with the respective geographic location of the mobile user station. In response to the request, the

computer systen provides to the mobile user station information representative

of

selectecl portions o1'the map database and sclcctcd portions of the traffic information
25

database based on the respective geographic location of the requesting mobile user

station. The mobile user station then displays graphically on the display information
representaiive of selected portions of the map database and selected portions of the traflic

inlormation database.
The trallic infbrmation clatabase may bc derived from information
30

obtained from stationary traffrc monitors. mobile user stations, or a combination thereof.

11

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The mobile user station allows traffic information to be displayed in a variety of manners

The display can also shorv graphically the location of the car on the display. The user
may select arnong diflerent modes for displaying traflic information on the display. The various aspects of the present invention have one or more of the

following advantages. The present invention allows a commuter to obtain tra{Iic

l0

information at any time, without waiting for a rcport to be broadcast. The present invention also allorvs detailed information relating to traffrc conditions based on
measurenlents of the traffic, such as the average vehicular speed or traffrc density, to be supplied ibr a plurality of locations along a road. The invention also allows the convcnient. display of information in a readily understood forrn to the user, such as a

l5

graphical display,

The foregoing and other features and advartages of the

invcntion ivilt be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings'

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERALVIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

'
20
pro viding

FlC. I shows a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of a system for

fraffic information.

. 1

FIG. 2 shows a fiont elevational view of an exemplary traffc monitor. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary display for a user station.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic vierv of an exemplary embodiment of a mobile

user unit ol'the present invention.
25

FIG. 5 is a partial electrical schematic for a trafftc monitor of FIG. 2.

FtG. 6 is an alternative exemplary display.

12

Page 12of 139

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FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of another exemplary embodiment of
series of traffic monitors alons a road.
a

FIG. 8 shows another exemplary display for a user station. FlG. 9 is a flow chart for a method of processing video data to yield traffic
information.

l0

FIG. l0 is a flow chart for an alternative method of processing video data
to vield traffic information.

FIC. 1l is a schcmatic representation of

a road system having

traffic

sensors and vehicles at different locations along the road.

FIG. 12 is a combined map and traflic inl'ormation database representative l5 of thc road system depicted in FIG. 11.

'

FIG. 13 is an exemplary embodiment of a centered display.

FlG. 14 is an exemplary embodiment of an offset display.
FIG. 15 is an exemplary embocliment of a look ahead display. FIG. I6 is a schematic diagram of a mobile user station having alternative
20

mechanisms for inputting commands to the uscr station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements,

FlG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the system 10 lor providing traffrc information to

a

plurality oIuser stations 52 connected to a nelwork 50. A plurality of traffic monitors 20
25 are arranged at spaced apart locations along a road

12. The tra{fic monitors 20 measure

traffic infornration by detecting the speed (vetocity) or frequency of vchicles traveling
along the road (freeway or highway) 12. For exan-rple, in one embodiment, the traffic

nronitors 20 may detect the speed of individual vehicles 14 traveling along the road 72.

13

Exhibit F Page 13 of 139

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li'

,,l;"

.;ii.,ilil

r;:l ,, ii,.,ii,r:i:,:iii., ::ilii li:..ii ":1i;

ll
Alternatively, the traffic monitors 20 rnay measure the frequency with which the
individual vehicles 14 pass specified points along thc road 12.

FIG. 2 shows a front elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of

a

traffic monitor 20. The traffrc monitor 20 has a detector 22 for measuring or otherwise
sensing

traffrc. FIG. 2 shows two different embodiments22Aand22B of a detector 22.

l0

The detector 22 maybe any type of measuring device which is capable of measuring or otherwisc sensing traffic and generaiing a signal representative of or capable of being
used to determine the traffic conditions. For example, the detector 22 could measure the average speed of the vehicles (cars or trucks) 14 at locations along the road 12, or it could nleasure the individual speed (vclocities) of cach vehicle 14. The detector 22 may detect

l5

vehicle fiequency, that is, the frequency at which vehicles pass a certain point, or may
measure traffrc flow, consisting of the nun-rber of vehicles passing a certain point for a

unit of time (e.g., vehicles per second). The detector 22 may use any suitable technique to measure traffic conditions (data). For examplen in one embodiment, the detector 22A
could enrploy radio waves, light waves (optical or infrared), microwaves, sound waves,
20 analog signals, digital signals, doppler shifts, or any other type of system to measure

traflic conditions (data). In one enrbodiment, the detector 22A uses a transmitted beam to measure the velocity of the vehicles 14 passing along the road 12, such as with a conmercial radar gun or speed detector conrmonly used by police. Alternatively, the
deteotor 22Amay detect when cars having magnetic tags or markers pass. The detector
25

22A may erither detect signals reflected from the vehicle or signals transmitted by the
vehicles.

'

The traffrc monitor 20 is shown with an alternative embodiment 22B

consisting of one or more pressure sensitive detectors which extends across the road 12. Prcfcrably two spaced apart detectors are positioned at a predeterrnined spacing to makc
30

the velocity detcrmination readily availablc. The pressure sensitive detector 22B dctects

Exhibit F Page 14 of

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-.ii..;*, iii:i: ,,

ij.,,ii:iil:il ,:1i.. ,,::;l li..ii ..ii:ii

t2
u,hen a vehicle passes over the detector

22B. Such a pressure sensitive detector may be

uscd alone or in combination with detector 22A to measure the frequency or speed

(velocity) of the tra{fic passing along the road 12. Likewise, the detector Z2Amaybe
used alone or in combination with the detector 228 to measure the frequency or speed

(velocity) of the traffic passing along the road 12. Alternatively, detector 22B could be a

l0

wire loop buried in the road to measure changing magnetic lields as vehicles pass over
thc loop. The detector 22 may neasure trafhc conditions in a single lane of
a

fieeway or road, or may measure average traffrc information across several lanes. The detector 22 could also be embedded in each lane of a road or freeway, such as with a

l5

pressure sensitive detector

22B. Alternatively, individual detectors could be embedded

h

a roadway which

would sense signals or conditions generated by passing vehicles. For

exanrple, each vehicle could include a magnet or could include a signating device which

would be detected by the detector, which could be an electromagnetic sensor or a signal
receiver. 20

Referring to FIG. 5, the traffrc monitors 20 may also include a processor
and a memory for collecting, processing, and storing tralfic information provided by the detectar 22.

,

The traffic monitor 20 preferably further rncludes a transmitter 26 for

transmitting the traffic inforrnation collected by the detector
25

22. The transmitter 26 may

be any type of device capable of transmitting or otherwise providing data in either digital

or analog form, either through the air or through a conductor. For example, the
transrnitleri could be a digital or analog ccllular transnritlcr. a radio transmitter,
a

microwave transmitter, or a transnritter connected to a wire, such as a coaxial cable or
telephone 30
a receiver

a

line. The transmitter 26 is shown

as transmitting the signals

through the air to

30. Alternativelv. the transnritter 26 could transmit the data to an intermediatc

Page 15 of 139

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ri* ii:ll

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receiver before bcing transmitted to the receiver

30. For example, several traffic

monitors 20 could transmit traffrc information in a daisy chain manner from one end of a
r<>ad 12

to the last traffrc monitor 20 at the other end of the road before being transmitted

to recciver 30. To facilitate this type of transmission most traffic monitors 20 would
require a receiver. Alternatively, one or more traffrc monitors 20 could transmit data to

l0

other trafllc monitors 20, which in turn transmit the data to the receiver

30. In order to

conservc power, the transmitter 26 and the detectors 22 preferably transnit and sense

infbrmation periodically rather than continuously. Further, the traffic information
generatcd by thc detector 22 is preferably averaged, or otherwise statistically modified,

over a periocl of time so as to limit the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and

l5

increase its accuracy.

In one embodiment, the traffic monitoring unit 20 may furthcr include a
video camcra 29. The video camera2g is also connected to the transmitter 26, so that the transmitter 26 nray transmit signals corresponding to the image sensed by the video

canera
20

29. Alternativcly,

the traffic monitors 20 may be replaced by video cameras 29.

Multiple images may be obtained by a video camera and the speed of the vehicles 14
dctermined based on image analysis of multiple frames from the video camera(s)'
One prcfcrred type of monitor 20 utilizes signals from a digital video camera to provide the

trallic information. Trallic-related infbrmation may be obtained

by analyzing the video sequences fronr the monitoring video cameras
25

29. The

information may inclucle how fast thc traffic moves and how congested the road is. The
speed of the traffrc may be derived by measuring the speed of vehicles in the

video. The

degree of congcstion maybe estimated by counting the number of vehicles in the video.

This invention provides two algorithms for estimating traffrc speed and road congestion
based on video input.

.::ii.,il:.iii:.'ii;

m ,,J

iii:,il "lii. ri:, iiii:li '"

;:i

.,:ii,. .;i:ii;li,:ii

.:ii;

,to
The first algorithm is based on optical flow and its flow diagram is shown in Figure

9. First, the algorithm

performs camera calibration based on the input video

of

the road and the physical nleasurements of certain markings on the

road. Then the

algorithnr

(l)

takes a number of frames from the input video; (2) computes optical flow;

(3) estimates camera motion whjch may be caused by wind, etc., (4) estimates
10

independent vehicle motion after compensating the carnera motion; (5) estimates traffic
speed based on the averaged vehicle motion and the camera parameters obtained from the

canera calibration step; estimates road congestion by counting the number

of

independent motion components; and (6) outputs the estimated speed and congestion rcsults.

l5

The second atgorithm is based gn motion blob tracking and its bock diagram is shown in Figure 10. First, the algorithm performs camera calibration based on the input video of the road and the physical measurements of certain markings on the

road. The algorithm (1) takes a number of frames from the input video; (2) estimates
camera motion; (3) detects independent motion blobs after cornpensating the carnera 20

motion, (4) tracks motion blobs; (5) estimates trafl'ic speed based on the averaged blob motion and the camera parameters obtained from the camera calibration step; estimates
road congestion by counting the number of independent motion blobs; and (6) outputs the
estimated dpeed and congestion rcsults.

Traflic monitor 20 further includes a power supply 24. The power supply
25

24 is prel'erably a battery, or may alternatively be a power line, such as a 12 or 120 volt

power tine. The traffrc monitor 20 is shown with an optional solar power supply 28. The power supply 24 or 28 provides the power necessary for the detectors 22A and/or 22B,
the transmitter 26, and any other electronics, such as a computer system and/or video camera.

17

Page 17 of 139

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riiil..:ii,..$ *-;ii ,ili;

15

The receiver 30 receives the signals from the traffic monitors 20 and/ar video canreras 29. The receiver 30 may be any device capable of receiving inlbrmation (data) such as rn eithcr an analog or a digital form. For example, the receiver 30 may be
a digital or analog cellular recciver, a standard phone, a radio rccciver, an antenna, or a

dataport capable of receiving analog or tligital information, such as that transmitted
10

pursuant to a data protocol. The receiver 30 receives the information from the traffic monitors 20 andlor video cameras 29 and passes that information to a computer system

40. The

computer system 40 preferably includes a processor (such as a general purpose processor,

ASIC, DSP, etc.), a clock, a power supply, and a memory. The computer systenr 40
15

preferably has a port 42, or any type of interconnection, to interconnect the computer
system 40 wilh the network

50. Preferably, the computer system 40 includes inforrnation

representative of the road 72 along which the traffic monitors 2A zre located, such as a
map databasc. Thc computer system 40 receives the traflic inforrnation transmitted by

the respect.ive traflic monitors 20. The information transmittecl by the traffrc monitors 20
20

includes the location or identification of each particular traflic monitor 20 together with
the data represcntativc of the traffic data provided by the detector 22 and/or video camera

29 at each tratl-rc monitor 20. The computer system 40 may manipulate the traflic

information in some manner, as necessary, so as to provide average speeds or other
statistical data. In the event of video, the computer system 40 may proccss the images to
25

determine the spccd of vchiclcs. Also, the vicleo may be providecl. Alternatively, the
user stations may process the traffic information.

In one embodiment. both the receiver 26 of the traffrc monitors and the transmitter'30 of computer system are each capablc of receiving and transmitting data.
This allows for two way comrnunication between the monitor 2O and the computer
30 system 40.l Thus, the computer system 40 could remotely operate the traflic monitor 20

18

Exhibit F Page 18 of

16

to change settings, diagnose problems, and otherwise provide input to traffic monitor 20

to facilitatc collection of trallic data. For cxamplc, thc video camera 29 could
remotely positioned to view a traffic lane of interest.

be

Traffic information may be provided to users in any suitable manner, such
as the examples that

{irllow. A user station 52 is connected to the network 50.

l0

Preferably, the user station 52 includes a graphic display unit 54 (see FIC.

3). For

example, the user station 52 rnay be a standard personal computer with a display monitor

54. l'he network 50 is preferably the Internet. However, the network 50 could also be a
local area nctwork or any other type of closed or open network, or coulcl also be the telephone netrvork. The user station 52 sends a signal over the network 50 to the

l5

computer system 40 requesting traffrc information. In response to receiving a request

liom the user station 52, the computer system 40 transmits traffic inibrmation
representative of the traffic infomration collected by the various traffic monitors 20 to the
t

requesting user station 52. The computer system 40 may transmit avcrage speeds
detected by each of the traific monitors 20 at eachof their respective locations. The 20

traffic information may be presented to the user as a web page. The computer system
may.send tiaffic information corresponding to only some of the traffrc monitors. The user may select which portions of the road 72 are of interest, and the cornputer system 40 may transniit trafllc infbrmation corresponding to that portion of the road 12.

;
25

FIC. 3 shows an exemplary clisplay 54 displaying thc traflic information

provided by the computer system 40. The computer system 40 provides tlala from its menrory which is representative of the road 12, such as data from a map database, which
is displayed as a road 112 on the display

54. The computer system 40 also provides

trafirc information collected by each, or a selected set, of the respective traflc monitors
20 which is displayed in portions ll4a-714d and/or the traffic information derived from 30

individual mobile user stations having a global positioning system locator as described in

19

Exhibit F Page 19 of

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il;:!';!" ::li'ii*' i'-:i

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.::ii.

.::ii'ii.ii ..:;;

t,
detail below. In the exernplary display shown in FIG. 3, the portions I 14a-1 14d display different colors or pattcrns representative of average vehicle speeds (for example, in
miles per hour) along diflerent portions of the road

I12. Of course, the display may

display other types of information, such as traffrc flow (vehicles per second) or vehicle

frequency. The display 54 may include information in either graphical or text fbrmat to

l0

indicate the portion of the road displayed, such as location of milepost markers or place
names 116.

While the display 54 shows one format for displaying Lhe information, other formats for presenting the inlormation may likewise be used, as desired.
necessary to provide a graphical representation of the road

lt

is not

12. Instead, information

l5

could be provided in a textual nurnner, such as, for example, mile post locations for each

of the trallic monitors 20 and presenting textual trafTic information for each location.
Thus, thc systcm nray operate as follows. The traffic monitors 20 detect

or otherwise sense trafl-rc to providc traffrc information. The trafftc monitors 20 may
detect or otherwise calculate vehicle speed, average vehicle speed, traflic flow, vehicle
20

frequency, or other clata rcpresentative of the traffrc. The traffic monitors 20 ntay sample either continuously, or may sarnple at intervals to conserve power. The transn-ritter 26
transmits the signals provided by the traffrc monitors 20 to the receiver 30 either

continuouSly or at intervals. Such signals may be either transmitted dircctly to the recciver 30, or may be transmitted through othcr trafljc monitors 20. The receivcr 30
25

receives the signals received by the various traffrc monitors 20 and passes these signals to the computer system

40.

'l-he computer system 40 receives the data from the traffic

monitors

20.

The computer system may calculate or process the traffic information for

thc users, as necessary.

It

is not necessary lor the traffic monitors 20 to calculate traffic

data, if desired. In response to a request from a user station 52, the computer system 40 30

provides the lraffic information over the network 50 to the user station 52'

20

i
The system

l8

l0

has many advantages.

It allows a user to receive It allows
the user to

contemporaneous traffic information from a plurality of locations.

obtain imnrediatc information rather lhan waiting l-or the broadcasl of information at
specified times. Further, the amount of information provided by the system is far

superior to that provided by any other traffic reporting system. A user can obtain

t0

immediate.and contemporaneous traffic conditions, such as average vehicular specd,

traflic flow, or vehicle frequency, for a plurality of locations along a road. Where traffic
monitors are provided along several different roads, a commuter may then select anlong
the various alternative routes, depending on the traftic conditions for cach road. The system also does not rely on thc manual input of information, and thus provides

t5

information more accurately and more quickly.

It also elirninates

subjective descriptions

of traffic information by providing measured data representative of traflic conditions.

,

In one cmbodiment, the computer system 40 also receives the signals

generated by the video camcras2g at the respective traflic monitors exemplary:display 54 in rvhich a video 20

20. FIG. 3 shorvs

an

'n:rge

129 is provided. In this embodiment, the

user may select frorn which traflic monitoring unit 20 the video image 129 is to be received

iiom. For

cxample, a user could initially select to view the image generated by

the video qamera at a hrst location, and then later vierv the image transmitted by another

video carnera 29, preferably at anothcr traffic ntonitor 20, al a diflbrent location. The system l0 preferably further inclucles the ability to send messages
25

about roadr conditions. FIG. 3 shows such an exemplary message 130 in text fomrat' The

computer systcm 40 is capable of storing data messages and transmitturg the data
messages

with the traflic information. The data messages would indicate items of

particular interest to the conmuter. For example, the text message 130 could indicate that there was an accidcnt at a particular location or milepost, that construction rvas
30

occurring at another location or milepost, or that highway conditions were particularly

Exhibit F Page 21 of

19

severe and that altcrnative routes should be selected. The systenr

l0 could provide

multiple messages through which the user could scroll so as to receive different messages in addition to the traffic information received from the various traffic monitors 20. ln
another embodiment, the user station 52 includes a voice synthesizer capable of reading the messages to the user10

In yet another embodiment, the system l0 may also provide additional
graphical intbrmation relating to traffic conditions. For example, the computer system 40 could transmit the location of an accident or construction site along the road 12. The information would be displayed on display 54 as an icon or other symbol at the location indicating the presence olan accident

or

highway construction. Such an icon is shown

t5

at

140 in

F{C. 3. Alternatively, the computer system could also display an icon

representative

ofa restaurant,

gas station, hospital, rest area, or roadside attraction. ln

such a system, the computer system would contain or be linked to a database containing such information. The information could be displayed automatically, or in response to a request for such inlbrmation fiom a user. 20

In another exemplary embodiment, the computer system 40 automatically
generates traffic reports to be sent to the user station 52 at predetermined times. For example, aluser may indicate that it wishes to receive a tra{fic report every morning at

7:30 a.m. The conrputer system 40 automatically sends to the user station 52 at the predetcrmined tinrc (7:30 a.m., for example) thc traf'fic inforntation collecled fronr the
25

traflic monitoring units 20. The information could be sent to be clisplayed, such as in
FIG. 3, or could be sent alternatively in a text or graphical format via e-mail. The traffic report nray also be provided in a forn'rat specific to the user's geographic region and/or
user's drivihg habits, such as anticipated (potential) routc to be traveled. The computer system 40 may also automatically send the traffic information to a display in the user's

30

vehicle in response to some cvcnt, such as turning on the vehicle, tin-re, key press, etc'

22

Exhibit F Page 22 of

.:ri..li.-il .,i:ii lfiru .r;;" .:$..,iii::'

ii::1

,,,

i,.I ii:::

.::i1..

,.::i; li...il ,.iii;

2A

.

In another embodiment, the computer systern 40 allows a user to calculate

the amount of timc nicessary to travel from one location to another location along the

road 12. The user sends a requcst to the computer system 40 indicating the two locations
along the road along which travel is dcsired. The user may, for example, indicate on the display by highlighting the two locations on the road 112 using a computer mouse.

l0

Alternatively, the two locations rnay include the user's current location, as determined by
a vehicle based GPS system, so that only the destination needs to be entered. The

computer systern 40 then calculates the anticipated amount of time it will take to travel

from one point to the other point based upon the tra{Ec data collectcd by the various traffic moqitors 20 between the two locations. In addition, the system may calculate

l5

alternativeiroutes in order to determine the fastest route in view of the traffic information. The computer system 40 then sends a signal back to the user station 52 to indicate the
amount of tirne that the travol lrom the first to the second location rvill take. The route determined as the best may be overlaid on a nvrp to assist the user in travel.

'
20

In yet another enrbodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 shows a divided

freeway rvith vehicle trafiic flowing in opposite directions in each of the divided sections. Each section of the freeway 12 has multiple lanes
measure

l2A-12C. The traffrc monitors 20

trallic in each of the lanes 12A-12C of each section 12 of the divided freeway.

The monitors 20 may measure traflic on only one portion of the divided fteeway, or ntay ncasure traffic conditions in each of the lanes of each of the sections of the divided
25

freeway. The monitor used to measure traffic in multiple lanes may be a cligital r,ideo
camera.

i

ptC. 8 shows yet another cmbodiment of

a display 54, which displays

traffic information for each individual lane of the divided freeway shown in FIC. 7. For
example, in display 54, the traffic conditions in cach individual lane l12A-112C is 30 displayed for the road scction 112. By displaying conditions for each particular lane, the

23

Exhibit F Page 23 of

2l
systen has the advantage of allowing the user to anticipate particular lane problems which may occur ahead, such as a rvreck 140 in lane i

l2C. In addition,

in an alternative

ernbodiment, the display 54 is capable of displaying the individual location of each

individual vehicle on the road 112.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of a user station 52. User station

l0

52 is a mobile unit in a car 60. User station 52 has transmitting andlor receiving units 64

lbr conxnulicating rvith the network 50. Such transmitting and receiving units 64 may
be any devices capable of transmitting digital or analog clata, such as, for example, a

digital or analog cellular phone.

The user station 52 mav also be contained

within a car 60 that further includes an associated global positioning system (GPS) l5
receiver

62.

The GPS rcceiver 62 receives signals from GPS satellites 70 which enable

the GPS receiver to determine its location. When a commuter requests traffic

infornation using the mobile user station 52, the request for traffic information may
include the location of the user as determined by the GPS receiver

62. When the

cornputcr system 40 rcceives this rcqucst, it provides traffrc information back to the
20

mobile user station 52 based on the location of thc car 60 as provided by the GPS receiver 62. Alternatively, the computer system 40 may provide traffic information to the
user station 52 rvhich in combination with the position deterndned by the GPS receiver 62 displays suitable clata to the user on a display or audibly. The user station may also be
a cellular phone

with an integrated or associated GPS.

25

by the computer system

40. The inforrnation provided

is essentially the same as that

shorvn in FIG. 3, except that the display 54 contains at 161 the position of the car 60.

Thc mobile uscr station 52 provides a significant advantage in that it allows the commutcr to immediatcly determine traflic information in thc coounuter's immediate
30

vicinity based on the comnruter's present location. The commuter does not have to wait

Exhibit F Page 24 of

,-.[.

'il ri":r "1,!l':rl. 'lii' ,..!r., :'!. l-ir . ri'it ii-.1,,,1!. .i..,r 'r"r' , ,:r' !l :ir r,,,rr ,ir "i: r. .1 r, .., 1,, r il. ,,. il..,o .,,,,1 't.,r .r''

LL

for a periodic traflic report. Further, traffic conditions are provided at a plurality of
locations, and the information is contenrporaneous. Based on the receipt of such information, the commuter may decide to use an alternate route rather than continue on
the current freeway.

Thus, in the embodimcnt shown in FIG. 4, the system provides the
10

relevant tr4ffic information to thc commuter or user on a timely basis. The display may
be tailored to provide the infornration for the current location of the commuter, together

with the upconring traffic that lies ahead.

ln

a preferred embodiment, the system obtains

traffic information fiom
52 requests

users that have a GPS receiver
15

62. ln this systenl whenever a user station

traffic information from the computer system 40, the computer system 40 associates a velocity (speed) of that particular user with its current location. Thc velocity may be
determined through a variety of methods. ln one systenr, when the user requests trallic

information, the user station 52 supplies not only its location but also its current velocity. The user station 52 nay obtain its cunent velocity in any fashion. For example, the user
20

station 52

ntary

track its location over time using the GPS receive

r

62, and also keep track

of the time associated with each location by using an internal clock. The velocity could
then be calculated by simply divitting the difli:rence between respective locations by respective times. Alternatively, the user station 52 may be connected to the vehicle's speedometcr or odometer, and measure velocity using information provided by the
25

vehicle 60 itself. Altefnatively, the computer system 40 itself could calculate the velocity

of each user. In such a systern, each user station 52 would provide the computer system
40 with a unique identification code together with its location. The computer system 40 then associates a time using an internal clock with each location rcported by cach user.

Preferably, the GPS location is sent together with the current time at thc user station so
30

that delays incurred in transrnissioll do not change the result. The velocity of cach user

Exhibit F Page 25 of

23

could then.be calculated by calculating the difference in location for a particular user (identified by its unique identification code) by thc respective times associated with each

of these locations.
Thus, the conlluter system 40 clevelops a database consisting of the location of a plurality of users together with the respective velocities of each of the users.
10

The computer system 40 thus has traflic information consisting at least of the velocity
the traffic for a plurality of locations corresponding to the locations for each of the

of

reporting users.

It

is preferred in such a sl.stem that each user station 52 would

contributc to the database, but the conrputer system could use data from fewer than all

of

the user stations 52 either requesting information or operating. The system may thus use

l5

the information received from the user stations 52 either to calibrate the traffic information provided by monitors 20, or to supplemcnt the tra(fic information provided by the traffic monitors 20. Alternatively, where the number of users is sufficiently large,
the traffrc monitors 2O may no longer be necessary, because the users themselves through

nobile user stations 52 and GPS receivers 62 provide enough traffic information to
20 generate useful displays of traffic inl'orn-ration. Thus, the system may provide traffic

information without the use of monitors 2A at a\l, relying solely on information derived

trom the mobile user stations 52. With a large number of users at a plurality of diflbrent
locations, the computer system 40 would develop a database having a largc number velocities associated with a large nunrber of geographic locations. Ideally, if every
25

of

commuter irn a road had a user station 52 with a GPS receiver 62. the computer systenl
40 would provide not only velocity data but also tra{fic density or traffic frequency data. Even without every vehicle having a user station 52 providing data to the computer system 40, traffic density or traffic frequency could be calculated using statistical techniques that correlate the reporting user stations 52 with known traffic patterns.

26

24

Thus, the combination of the mobile uscr station 52, GPS receiver and transmitting and receiving units 64 provides an especially advantageous method fbr collecting trafftc inlbrmation. Surprisingly, this system is capable ofproviding traffic
furfbrmation that is superior to that collected by stationary sensors. This is because traffic

information may be potentially collected at more locations based on the number
r0

of

mobile user stations 52. and because individual vehicle speed can be monitored rather
than average vehicle speed. In addition, the system has a significant cost advantage in

that it is not necessary to install traffic monitors 20, or at least the number of traflic monitors 20 that are necessary can be substantially reduced. The system also provides automatic trafftc reporting, and thus does not rely on the manual input of data.
15

Furthermore, the system is low maintellance, since there are no traffic monitors 20 to

nraintain. The system is also particularly robust, in that if a particular mobile user station
52 malfunctions, traffrc information can still be collected for all locations based on data

reported by other mobile users. In contrast, if a stationary scnsor 20 lbils, no data can be collected from that location. Thus, the collection of traflic data from a plurality
20

of

mobile user stations 52 to create a traffrc information database provides surprising
advantages and a superior system for providing tra{fic information.

In the system described abovc using mobile user stations 52 in vehiclcs,
the user stiition may initiate contact with the computer system 40 by initiating a telephone

call to the conrputer systern 40. Alternatively, the computer system 40 could initiate a
25

call to the user station 52, such as over the Internet using a web browser. The uscr sration
52 would respond with an appropriate signal

if information was requested. The user

station 52 could also, even if no information was desired, provide its current location
(preferably. with current time), and optionally its velocity as well, to allow the computer system 40 to gather additional traffic information. This would be useful in the case 30

of

vehicle based lnternet browsing for other purposcs so that the trafllc information would

27

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25

be updated for that user and others. In yet another alternative, the user station 52 would

initiate the rcquest to the computer system 40, indicating that traffic information was

desired. The computer system 40 would then respond at a series of,tinied intcrvals for
set length of time, for example, providing updates every two minutes for thirty ninutes.

a

In yet another alternative embodiment of the system 10, the mobile user

l0

station 52 is a cellular telephone. The computer system 40 includes a voice synthesizer.

A user may telephone the computer system 40 over a cellular telephone network. In
response to a request for highway conditions, the computer system 40 generates a traffic

report and transmits the information using the voice synthesizer so that the traffic information may be heard and understood over the commuter's cellular telephone. The t5
location of the user may be determined by an associated GP$ receiver, or alternativety by triangulati4g the location of the user by measuring the distance between the user and
several different transmission receiving towcrs in differcnt cells.

In yet another enrbodiment of the present invention the computer systen 40 or user station 52 may calculate the best route, such as the fastest, between a starting
20

point and a destination based on thc current traffic conditions. This functionality may further be provided in the mobile user station 52 in the car 60 so that the driver may
calculate the best route to accomrnodate for changing traffrc conditions. This also assists
the driver in unfamiliar cities wherc he may be unfamiliar with anticipated traffic

patterns. The functionality of providing current traffic conditions and/or best route
25

oalsulations may be overlaid on maps available for GPS systems, household conputers,
and mobile user stations.

In addition, an early warning system may be incorporated into the
computer system, user station, or mobile user station to provide warning of impending

traffic jams, such as the result of a traffrc accident. For example, if the average vehicle
30 spccd on a portion of a road ahead of a driver is less than a preselected velocity, such as

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26

25 mph, the computer system 40 may send a warning signal to the mobile user station 52.

Alternatively, a velocity less than

a preselected percentage

or other measure of the

anticipated velocity for the particular road nray be used as the warning basis.

It

is also

envisioned within the scope of the invention that data communications may be accomplished using radio broadcasts, preferably encoded in some manner.
10

Preferably, the computer system 40 andlor the mobile user station 52

n

a

vehicle 60 has stored in its associated memory a map database representative of the road

or highrvay network that contains longitucle and latitude information associated witlt
various geographic locations on the map. This allows easy integration of traffrc data that
has associated longitude and latitude

information. For example, along a particular

l5

section of a highway, the map database contains the latitude and longitude of selected locations of the highway. The latitude and longitude of the various trafftc sensors 20
may be predetermined. When data representative of the traffic at a particular sensor 20 is

received, the conrputcr system 40 can easily display the tra{lic information for that particular location on the map by associating the gcographic location of the sensor 20
20

with the longitude and latitude infornration contained in the map databasc. Similarly,
whert: traflic information is derived from individual mobile user stations 52 in vehicles 60 which rOport latitudc and longitude derived fiom the mobile GPS receivers 62, ihe computer system 40 can easily associate the traffic information received liom the mobile
user station 52 with the map database based on the user's reported latitude and longitude.

25

Thus, by utilizing a map database that contains latitude and longitude inforrnation for various locations, the system can easily overlay traffic information on top of the displaycd rhap data by associating the geographic data (latitude and longitude; corresponding to the traffic informition with the geographic data corresponding to the
lnaD.

29

Exhibit F Page 29 of 1 39

.

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'r' -'.r.'

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27

.

FIGS. l1 to 12 illustrate such a system. FIG. 11 shows schenatically a

scction of a road having various locations 2A1-218. Along the road are positioned various sensors 20a-20d whose geographic locations have been deternrined. Traveling along the road are a variety of users 4A1404 having respective user stations and GPS

receivers. FIG. 12 illustrates one embodiment of a map and traffic information database

l0

that may be developed to provide traffic inlbrmation over the network to individual users.
Each of the various locations (or road segments) 201-218 has an associated longitude and

latitucle. In addition,