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)
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Google Inc. v. Traffic Information LLC
Doc. 52 Att. 2
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us00646686281
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llll
(r2)
United States Patent
DeKock et al.
lroy Patent
(+s)
No.: US 61466,862 81 Date of Patent: Oct. '1,5,2[Nl2
9/1997 Pietzsch et al. ............. 340/905 6/1998 Snrith, h. et al. ........... 7OIl2rJ9 9/1998 Albrecht et al. ............ 3;lO/905 l2il998 Pelerson .....................'7 OtZ@ 3/1999 Fastenrath .................. 340/905 7/7999 Jonss et al. ...-............. 3Ql9M
911.999 Fan et
(s4)
(75)
SYSTEM FOR PROVTDTNG TRAFFTC INFORMATION Inventors: llruce !1'. DeKock; Kevin L. Russell, both of Portland, OR (US); Richard J. Qian, Camas, WA (US) Assignee: Bruce DeKoclg Bend, OR (US) patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) bv 0 days.
5.673.039 A 5,114,821 A 5,812,069 A
5,845"227
5,889.4'1',1
A A A A A
A
5.926,113 A
5,959,57'1
al. .............. 3421357.13
3401905
(73)
(.
5.982,298
5,98'.i,374 5,987,3'7'7
) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
Appl- No.: 09/s50,476
6,107,944 6,150,961 6,151,550
A A A
11i1999 l-appenbusch et al. ...... 1li1999 Akutsu et al. .............. 11/1999 Westerlage et al. ......... 812000 Grimm ....................... 1112000 Alewine et al. ...-........ 1112000 Nakatanl ..............-.....
7Al1717
7Ol1204
340l9ls
3401995
TOllllT
(2I)
* cited by examiner Pimary Examiner-Wrlliam A. Cuchlinski,
Jr.
(22) tiled: (60)
Apr. 14,2000
Related U.S. Application Data
Provisional application No. 60/130.399, liled on Apr. 19, 1999, provisional application No. 60/166,868, flled on Nov. 22, 1999, and provisional application No. 60/189,913, filed on Mar. 16, 2000.
Ass* tant Examiner--A4arthe Y. Marc-Coleman (1 4) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ihernoff Vilhauer McClung & Stenzel, LLP
(s7)
ABSTRAC'I-
A system for providing traffic information to a plurality of
mobile users connected to a network. The system comprises a plurality of trafhc monitors, each comprising at least a traffic detector and a transmitter, the trafic detector generating a signal in response to vehicular traffic and the transmilter transmitting the signal. A receiver receives the signals liirm the traffic monitors. Acomputer system is connecled to the receiver and is further connected to the network. The computer system in response to a requesl signal received tiom one of the users lransmits in response thereto information representative of thc signals transmilted by the traffic moniloring unils. Altemative systems for gathering traffic
(51) Int. Cl.7 (s2) u.s. ct. (58)
Field of Search
G01S 5/02 70Url7; 7Q1 118; 7A711.1.9;
34019(t7; 3401905: 340/9BB; 3421357.13
l0t
...........
70llll7,I19,
119, 273; 3421357, 357.13; 340190L, 905, 988
(s6)
References Cited U.S. PAIENT DOCUMENTS
5.402.111 A
5.497.148 A 5,539.645 A 5.594.432 A
3i1995 Zijderhand .................. 311996 Oliva ......................... 7i1996 Mandhvan et al. ......... "til997 Oliva et al. .....-.....-.....
340i905
34Ol9O5 7011119
information are disclosed. 34 Claimg 14 Drawing Sheets
3$l91s
52
Exhibit B Page 1 of28
Dockets.Justia.com
fJ.S. Patent
Oct. 15.2002
Sheet 1 of 14
us
6,466,862 81
COMPUTER SYSTEM
FIG.
1
FIG.2
Exhibit B Page 2 of 28
fJ,S. Patent
Oct.
15,2002
Sheet 2 of 14
us
6,466,862 81
l16-\
Terwilliger
Curve
I
l4D
Milepost 6
45-50 mph 40-45 mph 35;40 mph 30-35 mph 25-30 mph 20-25 mph
4A
F
tro
/Capitol Highway
Ls+
t76
FIG.3
Exhibit B Page 3 of 28
LJ.S. Patent
Oct.
15,2002
Sheet 3 of 14
us
6,466,862 81
J :b ss
\_
FIG.4
Exhibit B Page 4 of 28
LJ.S. Patent
Oct. 15,2002
Sheet 4 of 14
us
6,466,862
Bt
PROCESSOR
FIG.
5
Exhibit B Page 5 of 28
LJ.S. Patent
Oct. 15.2002
Sheet 5 of 14
us
6,466,862
Bl
FIG. 6
r"rlioii a Page 6 of 28
LJ.S. Patent
Oct.
15,2002
Sheet 6 of 14
us
6,466,862
Bl
ltl VV'1,
FIG.7
Exhibit B Page 7 of28
LJ.S.
Patent
oct.
15,2002
Sheet 7 of
t4
US 6,466,862 81
to\
140
\
WRECK
mtr
EH
55-60 mph 50-55 mph 45-50 mph 40-45 mph 35-40 mph 30-35 mph
FIG.8
Exhibit B Page 8 of 28
fJ.S. Patent
Oct. 15,2002
Sheet 8 of 14
us
6,466,862
Bl
INPUT MULTIPLE FRAMES
INPUT MULTIPLE FRAMES
COMPUTE OPTICAL FLOW
ESTIMATE CAMERA MOTION DETECT MOTION BLOBS
ESTIMATE CAMERA MOTION ESTIMATE VEHICLE MOTION ESTIMATE TRAFFIC SPEED AND CONGESTION
TRACK MOTION
BLOBS
ESTIMATE TRAFFIC SPEED AND CONGESTION
OUTPUT ESTIMATED
SPEED AND
OUTPUT TRAFFIC
SPEED AND
CONGESTION
CONGESTION
FIG.9
FIG. 1O
Exhibit B Page 9 of 28
U.S. Patent
Oct. 15,2002
Sheet 9 of 14
us
6,466,862 81
T
a
20c
nr
FIG. 11
Exniuit s Page 10of28
U.S. Patent
Oct. 15,2002
Sheet 10 of 14
us
6,466,862
Bl
LOCATION
201
LAT/LONG
45'54'36',N/
37"32'.12"8
ROAD INTERSTATE
DIRECTION
0"
VELOCITY
55 MPH
242
203
LOCAL
BYPASS
27"
20 MPH STOPPED
EAST
204
205
RESIDENTIAL
NW
206
247
FIG. T2
Exhibit B Page 11 of28
IJ.S.
Patent
oct.
15,2002
Sheet
tl of 14
US 6,466,862 Bt
to\
+
N
(SUBSTANTIALLY CENTERED)
55-60 50-55 45-50 40-45 35-40 30-35
mph mph mph mph mph mph
FIG.
13
Exhibit B Page 12of28
U.S.
Patent
ocl
15,2002
sheer t2 of
14
US 6,466,862
Bl
t\
+
N
55-60 50-55 45-50 40-45 35-40 30-35
mph mph mph mph mph mph
FIG.
T4
ixhibit B Page 13of28
fJ.S.
54
Patent
oct.
15,2002
Sheet
t3 of 14
US 6,466,862
Bl
--
N+
iB
W
55-60 mph 50-55 mph 45-50 mph 40-45 mph 35-40 mph 30-35 mph
FIG.
15
Exhibit B Page 14 of28
LJ.S. Patent
Oct. 15,2002
Sheet 14 of 14
us
6,4660862
Bl
trEEIETFI
SPEAKER
FIG.
16
Exhibit B Page 15 of 28
us
1 SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING TRAFTIC
6,466,862 97
2
in on a particular area. flowever, a commuter who is actively clriving cannol operale a computer and drive at the same time. In addirion, these systems may rely on manual entry of data received from subjcctive traffic reporls andlor lraffic sensors. Thus this method may additionally suffer from added cost due to manual labor, incorrect entry of data, and slow response to quickly changing traffic conditions.
INFORMATION
The priority date of Provisional Application Serial No. 60i130,399 filed Apr. 19,1999, Ser. No. 60i166,868 filed Nov.22, 1999, and Ser. No. 60/189,913 filed Mar. 16,20Ui are claimed.
s
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system for providing traffic information, and more particularly a system for providing lraffic information to a plurality of mobile users connected to a network. Commuters have a need for information relating to the congestion and traffic which they may encounter on a commule over a road, a highway, or a freeway. Unfortunatelv, the prior art melhods of providing trallic inlbrmation to commuters do not allow commuters to e./aluate the extent to which there is congestion on a highway on which the commuter may wish to travel. One known melhod of providing traffic information consists of raclio reports. A radio station may broadcast traffic
applicalion ol navigalion to a parlicular destination- In addition, Fan et al. teach that the measured position data conditions over portions of a freeway. Unfortunately, these 25 transrnitted from the mobiie units may be used to calculale reports are usually intermittenl in nature. Accoidingiy, to the speeds at which the vehicles travel. 'ltre colleclive speed hear the reporl, the commuter must be listening to the radio clata from the mobile units is then availablc Ior use by the slation a1 the time the report is being broadcast on the radio. monitor units, such as those at the shipping company, to Further, the extent of the information provided is severely route the vehicles away from traffic congestions and diverlimited to broad generalizations. For example, the inf,orma- 30 sions. In this manner, the dispatcher at the shipping tion provitled during the broadcast may be limited to the area company, to which Fan el al. teaches the data is available to, being currertly viewed by the reporter, or the information may use the collccdve speed data to decide which vehicles may be based on a previous view at a prior time of anolher to contact in order to reroute them. portion of the lieeway. Some broadcasts may include mulWesterlage et al., U.S. Pal. Nos. 5,097,377 and 5,987,377 , tiple observers of different portions of the l'reeway, yet these syslems also provide incomplete information relating to " disclose a system for dete-rmining an expected time of arrival of a vehicle equipped rvith a mobile unit. overall traffic pattems. In addition, the information provicled Zijderhand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,117, discloses a method is vague, subjective, and usually limited to broad gencraliof collecting trafic information to determine an origintics rclating to traffic ffow. Another known lraf6c information system is provided by .ro deslinalion matrice without inlringing upon the privacy of reports, such as from a helicopter thal monitors lraffic
tne users. television broadcasts. In these systems, television stations MandhlTan et a1., U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,645, is related to may mount video cameras poinled at certain portions of a moniloring movement of traffic aiong predetermined routes, freervay, or may broadcast video images from a helicopter. where individual moving elements can move with a high The television station may periodically broadcast traffic reports and include in the traffic report a view of different 45 degree of discretion as to speed except rvhen congcstion, portions of the freeway from the video cameras. Again, this accidcnt or the likc iimit speeds. Mandhyan et al. uscs the system provides little useful information to a commuter. The deployment of calibrant vehicles for collecling and reporling commuter must be watching the broadcast at the time the information which describes vehicle speeds actually being information is being transmitted. However, by the time the ex?erienced along the routes of interesl where the data are c{)mmuler actually gels into his vehicle and enlers a poten- 56 processed statistically as a function of the time of day- The lially congested area, the trafic may have changed. Further, outpul provides baseline data against which observations at the information provided is limited to those areas where the a particular time, category, weather, event, and location can traffic is being monitored and may consist of stale informabe compared, to identify the existence of abnormal conditions, and to quantify the abnormality. To determine tion. Often the video image is limited to a small portion of the road, and shows traffic flowing in a singlc direction. 55 abnormal conditions, Mandhyan et al. teach the use ofprobe vehicles. In particular, Mandhyan et al. is applicable to Yet another method to provide lraffic information is to monitoring the flow of motor vehicles along roads which are provide a website that is accessible using the Intemet that subjecl to delays of sufficient tiequency and severity that contairs traffic information. Whiie these types of systems correction action or dissemination of information announchave the advanlage of providing more up to datc information, these systems typically provide a map for a 6s ing a delay are economically desirable. Unfortunately, the use of probe vehicles may be expensive and the relevancy of large area. Thus, for a person commuting in a car, the systm the data is limiled to the availability of the probe vehicles. displays traffic information for many areas noi of interest to the commuter. In addition, these types of syslems require Lappenbusch et a1., U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,29B, disclose a manipulation by the commuter to find the relevant traffic traffic information system having servers that makes traffic inlbrmation. For example, while the map may allo*, the 65 clata, images, and video clips available to a user interface on commuter to zoom in on a parlicular area, the user musl clienl devices. Lappenbusch et al. envision that.lhe ciient provide inputs to the system to instruct the system lo zoom devices are personal or desktop computers, network
Fan et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,577, disclose a system for processing position and travel related information through a 10 data processing station on a data network. In particular, Fan et a1. leach the use of a GPS receiver to oblain a measured position fix of a mobile unit. The measured position fix is reporled to the data processing station which associates the reporlecl position with a map of the area. Typically, the 15 measurecl position of the mobile unit is marked and identi{ied by a marker on the map. The area map is then stored in tbe data processing station and made available for access by authorized monit"or units or mobile units. An authorized monitor unit may request a specific area map. This permits 20 shipping companies to monitor the location of their fleet and permits the mobile units to identify their current localion in relation to a map, which is parricularly suited for the
Exhibit B Page 16of28
us
3
6,466,862 81.
4
compulers, set-top boxes, or intelligent televisions. The user the data providing der.ices laid on the road can use lhe interface includes a road map showing a plurality of road received traffic data from the vehicles to predict lhe occursegments that a user can interactively select. Vehicular speed rence of traffic congeslion based on the pass time ancl speed inlbrmation is provided to the system from traffic sensors of a vehicle. It is assumed that at a certain point, vehicles monitoring the traffic. In addition, the user intcrfacr has a 5 rvere lraveling smoothly at a certain time and tbc speed of road image area thal changes as the user selects differenl each vehicle has decreased drastically at the next time. In road segments to show recent images of a currently selected this case it is expected thal traffic congestion will occur in road segment. Unforlunately, the system taught by l-appenthe vicinity of that point. Therefore, smooth travel can be busch e1 a1. is complicated to operate and requires significant achieved by, for example, communicating to each vehicle user interaction to provide relevant da1a, which is suitable ,o data etc. indicating bypasses in order not to worsen traffic for such "slationary" traditional computing devices. congestion. Therefore, a vehicle operator can gain knowlSmith, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,774,827, disclose a systsm edge of the traveling state of a vehicle which has already to alieviate the need for sophisticated route guidance passed over that point and adjust travel considering traffic systems, where the commuter has a positioning system as llow. well as a map database in a car. A central facility receives 15 While all of the above systems provide some degree of and stores cunent tramc information for preselected comtraffic information for a commuter, neverlheless the above muler routes from various currenl traffic information systems do not provide an efficient method of coliecting and sources, such as local police autborities, toll-wav authorities, presenting objective traffic information 10 a commuter. What spotters, or sensors deployed on the road ways to detect is desired, thereforc, is a system for providing 1raffic infortrafhc flow To achieve the elimination of sophisticated route 26 malion which allows a commuter to obtain information at guidance systems a porlable device receives a travel time an)' time desired by the commuter, that provides information only for preselected commuter roules from the cenlral relating to a plurality of points along a road, thal provides facility. In this manner, Smith, Jr. et al. teach that each user informalion relating 1o different traffc levels, that provides receives only the traffic information that is relevant to the information that is particularly relevant to the commuter, user's preselecied commuter routes. If desired, the prese- 25 and that provides the intbrmation in an easily understood lected commuter routes may be presented as a set of roule format that may be easily utilized by a commuter while segmenl-s, where each of the segments is coded to indicate driving. commute time. In response, the user may choose an alternative route knou'n by him that is different from any BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION preselecled commuler routes. Smith, Jr. et al. further suggest 39 present invention overcomes the limitations of the Ttre thal a GPS enablcd portable unit for transmitting a presenl prior art by providing a system for providing trafEc inforposition of thc porlable device to the central facility such mation to a plurality of users connected to a network. In a that the central facility uses each present position to calcufirst aspect the present invention provides a system comlate at least a portion of the cunenl travel information. By matching multiple positions of the portable device with j5 prised of a plurality of traffic monitors, each comprising ai least a lraffic delector and a lransmitter, the traffic detector kno*'n positions on the preselected route and measuring the generating a signal in resporlse to vehicular lraflic and the time bet*,een t*'o consecutive matched positions the central transmitter transmitting the signal. The system also includes facility can obtain up-to-the minute trafnc information to be a receiver that receives the signals from the traffic monitors. used in broadcasting future lravel times to other users of preselected commuter routes. Unfortunateiy, the system 46 A computer system is connected to the receiver and is also connected to the network. The computer system. in response taught by Smith, Jr. et al. requires the user to define a set of 10 a request signal received from one of the users, transmits preselected commuler routes fbr each route to be traveled, in response thcrcto information represenlative of the signals n'hich may be difficult if the user is unfamiliar wirh the area. transmitted by the traffic monitors. In addition, Smith, Jr et al. teach that the user should select allernativc routes that are known to the uscr, presumably if a5 In a second separale aspect of the invention, a system the commute timc of the preselecred commuter roules arc provides trafEc information to a plurality ofusers connected too long, which is difficult if the user is not aiready familiar to a network. Traffic is detecled at each of a plurality of with lhe area. localions along a road and a signal is generaled al each of the locations representative of the traffic at each of the locations. Pielzsch et a1., U.S. Pat- No- 5,673,039, disclose a syslem lor dynamic monitoring of the total lraffic in a stretch of road so Each of the signals is transmitted from each of tbe plurality equippecl with monitoring and information-provision of localions to a receiver. These signals are sent liom the
'
systcm, as well as wamings to drivers, and hcnce the possibility of regulating the traffic. The system does no1 require that the vehicles be equipped with appropriale sensors and transmitting equipment. Akutsu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,374, disclose a vehicle
5s
to a computer system. The computer system receives a request from one of the users for traffic information. In response to tbe request, the computer syslem lransmits information representative of the traffic at each of the plurality of locations to the usr.
receiver
traveling guidance system that includes data providing
deviccs laid on a road and a vehicle. The vehicle includes a data transmilter for sending a dala providing device traveling data of the vehicle when the vehicle passes over the vicinity of the data providing device and a data receiver for receiving data sent from the data providing device. The traveiing 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 ftom the vehicle and a transmitier for sending other passing vehicles the traveling data. A control center communicating through
60
In a third separate aspect of the invention, a system provides trafhc information to a plurality of users connected to a network. Thc syslem comprises a plurality of mobilc user stations, each mobile user station being associated with
the display, a global positioning system receiver and a communicating device to allow each of the mobile user stations to send and receive signals. A computer system is interconnected lvith anolher communicating device in the network. 1he computer system is capable ol sending and
receiving signals to the mobile user stations using the other communicating device in the network. The computer system
os
Exhibit B Page 17 of 28
us
6,466,862 81
6
FIG. 14 is an exemplary embodiment of an oft'set display.
maintains a map database and a traffic information database. The traffic informalion database contains intbrmation representative of traffic data at a plurality of locations. At least one of the mobilc user stations provides a request to the computcr system for information together with the respec- 5 tive geographic location of the mobile user slation. In response to the request, the compuler system provides to the mobile user station information representative of selected portions of the map database and selected poftions of the traffic information database based on the respective geo- 10 graphic location of the requesting mobile user station. The mobile user slation then displays graphically on the display information representative of selected portions of 1he nrap dalabase and selecled portions of the trattrc informalion
FIG. 15 is an exemplary embodiment of a look
d
ahead
isplay.
FIG. L6 is a schematic diagram of a mobile user slation having allernative mechanisms for inpulting commands to
the user stalion.
DETAILED DESCRIP'I'ION OI. lHE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring nolv to the figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elements, FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the system 10 for providing traffic information to a plurality of user slations 52 connected 1o a network 50. A plurality of traffic monitors 20 are arranged at spaced apart locations clatabase1s along a road 12. The traffic monitors 20 measure traffic The traffic information database may be derived from information by detecting the speed (velocity) or frequency information obtained from stationary traffic monitors, of vehicles traveling along the road (freeway or highway) mobile uscr stations, or a combination thereof. The mcbile 12. For example, in one embodiment, the traffic monilors 20 user station allo',r's traffic information to be displayed in a may detect. the speed of individual vehicles 14 lraveling variety of manners. The display can also show graphically 20 along the road 12. Alternatively, the traffic monitors 20 may the location of the car on the display. The user may select measure the frequency with which the individual vehicles 14 among differenl modes for displaying tr:flic j11o.-u,ioo oo pass specilied points along the road 12. the dispiay. FIG. 2 shows a liont elevational view of an exemplary Tbe various aspects of the present invention have one or embodiment ot a traffic monitor 20. The traffic monitor 20 more of the following aclvanlages. The present invention 25 has a detector 22 for measuring or otherwise se nsing traffic. allows a commuter lo obtain traffic information at any lime, FIG. 2 shows two different embodiments 22A and 228 of a u'ilhout waiting ftrr a reporl 1o be broadcast. The present detector 22. The deleclor 22 may be any type of measuring invention also allorvs detailed information relating to traffic device which is capable of measuring or otherwise sensing conditions based on measurements of the traffic, such as the 30 traffc and generating a signal representative of or capable of averase vehicular speeci or traffic density, to be supplied for being used to determine the tramc conditions. For example, a plurality of locations along a road. The invention also the detector 22 conld measure the average speed of the allou,s thc convcnicnt display of information in a readily vehicles (cars or trucks) 14 at locations along the road 12, or understood lbrm to the user, such as a graphical display. it could measure lhe indir.idual speed (velocities) of each The lbregoing and other features and advantages of the .. vebicle 14. The detector 22 may detect vehicle frequency, -' invention will be more readily understood upon considerthal is, the frequency at which vehicles pass a cerlain poinl, ation of the foliowing detailed description of the invention, or may measure trallic l1ow, consist:ing of the oumber of taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. vehicles passing a certain point tbr a unit of time (e.g., tsRIEF DESCRIP'IION OF THE SEVERAL
VIEWS OFTI]E
&
DRAWINGS
40
FIG. I shows a schematic of an exemplary embodirnent of system lor providing trallic intbrmation.
FIG. 2 shows a fiont elevational view of an exemplary
traffc
monitor.
45
of IIC. 2.
FIG. 3 shou's an exemplary display for a user station. FIG. 4 shorvs a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a mobilc user unit of the present invention. FIG.5 is a partial electrical schematic for a traffic monitor FIG- 6 is an alternative exemplary display. FIG. 7 shou's a schematic view of another is exemplary
5o
embodiment of a series of trafEc monitors along a road. FIG. 8 shows another exemplary display for a uscr station. FIG. 9 is a flow chart for a method of processing video data to yicld trafic inlbrmation. processing vicleo clata to yield lraffic information. FIG. ll is a rcbematic representation of a road system having traffic sensors and vehicles at different locations along the roacl. FIG. 12 is a combined map and traffic inlbrmation database representative of the road system depicted in FIG. 11.
55
FIG. 10 is a flow chart for an altemative method of
60
l,lc- 13 is an
display.
65
exemplary embodiment
of a centered
vehicles per second)- The detector 22 may use any suitable lechnique to measure traffic condilions (data). For example, in one embodiment, the detector 22A could employ radio wavos, light waves (optical or infrared), microwaves, sound waves, analog signals, digital signals, doppler shifts, or any other type of system to measure traffic conditions (data). In one embodiment, the detector 22A uses a transmitted beam to measure the velocity of the vehicles 14 passing along the road 12, such as with a commercial radar gun or speed deteclor commonly uwd by police . Alternatively, the detecIor 22A may detect *'hen cars having magnetic tags or markers pass. The detector 224 may either deiect signals reflected liom the vehicle or signals transmitted by the vehicles. 'lhe lraflic monitor 20 is shown with an alternative embodiment 22B consisting of one or more pressure sensitive detectors which extends across the road 12. Preferably two spaced apart detectors are posilioned at a predetermined spacing to make the velocity determination readily availab1e. The pressure sensitive detcctor 228 detects when a vetricle passes over the dctector 22B. Such a pressure sensitive detector may be used alone or in combination with detector 22A to measure the frequency or speed (velocity) of the traffic passing along the road 12. Likewise, the detector 22Amay be used alone or in combination with the detector 22B to measure the frequency or speed (velocity) of the lralEc passing along thc road L2. Alternatively, detector 22B could be a u,ire loop buried in the road to melLsure changing magnetic fields as vehicles pass over the loop.
Exhibit B Page 18of28
US 6.466:862 B1
7
The detector 22 may measure traffic conditions in a single lane of a freeway or roacl, or may measure average traffic information across several lanes. The detector 22 could also be embcdded in cach lanc ofa road or freeway, such as with a pressure sensitive delcctor 228. Alternatively, individual
detectors could be embedded in a roadway which would sense signals or conditions generated by passing vehicles. For example, each vehicle coujd include a maqnet or could include a signaling device which would be detected by the detector, which could be an electromagnetic sensor or a signal receivcr.
s
input video; (2) computes optical flow; (3) estimates camera motion which may be caused by wind, etc., (4) estimates independent vehicle motion after compensating the camera motion; (5) estimates traffic speed based on the averaged vehicle motion and the camera parameters obtained from the camera calibration step; estimates road congestion by counting the number of independent molion components; and (6) oulputs the estimated speed and congestion results.
i0 and its bock
Referring to trlG. 5, the trafiic monitors 20 may also
include a processor and a memory for collecting, processing, and storing trafEc information provided by the detector 22.
The traftc monitor 20 pref'erably further includes a trans- 15 (3) detects independent motion blobs afler compensating the mitter 26 for transmirting the lrafEc information collected by camera motioq (4) tracks motion biobs; (5) estimates traffic the detector 22. The transmitter 26 may be any tvpe of speed based on the averaged biob motion and the camera pararneters obtained from the can:era calibration step; estidevice capable of transmitling or otherwise providing data in matcs road congestion by counring the number of indepeneither digital or analog form, either through the air or through a conductor- For example, the transmitter could be 20 dent motion blobs; and (6) outputs the estimated speed and a digital or analog cellular transmitter, a radio transmitter, a congestion results. microwave transmitter, or a transmitler connected to a wire, Traffic monitor 20 further includes a power supply 24. such as a coaxial cable or a telephone line. The transmitter The power supply 24 is preferably a batlery, or may alter26 is shox'n as transmitting the signals through the air to a natively be a power line, such as a 12 or 120 volt power line. ^_ receiver 30..Alternatively, the transmitter 26 could transmit " The traffic monitor 20 is shown with an optional solar powcr the data to an intermediate receiver before being transmitted supply 28. the power supply 24 or 28 provides the power to the receiver 30. For example, several tra{fic monilors 20 necessary for the detectors 22A andlor 22i8, Lhe transmitter could transmil traffic inlbrmation in a daisv chain manner 26, and any other eleclronics, such as a computer system from one end of a roacl 12 to rhe last traffic monitor 20 at the and/or video camera. olher end of the road betbre being transmitted to receiver 30. ?o The receiver 30 receives the signals from the traffic To facililatc this typc of transmission most traffic monitors monitors 20 andlor video cameras 29. The receiver 30 may 20 lr'ould require a rcceiver. Alternatively, one or morc be any device capable of receiving information (dara) sucir traffic monitors 20 could transmit data to other traffic monias in either an analog or a digital form. For example, the tors 20, which in turn transmit the data to the receiver 30. .. receiver 30 ma1, be a digital or analog cellulaf receiver, a In ordcr to conscrve power, the lransmitler 26 and the -" standard pbone, a radio receiver, an antenna, or a data port detectors 22 prel'erably transmit and sense informalion pericapable of receiving analog or digital information, such as odjcallv rather lhan continuously. Furrher, the traffic inforthat transmitted pursuant to a data protocol. malion generated b1' the detector 22 is preferably averagecl, The receiver 30 receives the information frorn the traffic or otherwise statisrically modified, over a period of time so 40 monitors 20 and/or video cameras 29 and passes that inforas to linit the amount of data that needs to be transmitted mation to a computer system 40. the computer system 40 and increase its accuracy. preferably includes a processor (such as a general purpose In one embodimnt, the traffic monitoring unit 20 may processor,ASIC, DSP, etc.), a ciock, a power supply, and a further include a video camera 29.The video camera 29 is memory. The compuler system 40 preferably has a port 42, also connected 1t-l the transmitter 26, so that the transmitter 45 or any type ofinterconnection, to interconnecl the computer 26 may transmit sigirals corresponding to the image sensecl system 40 with the network 50. Prcferably, the computer bv the video camera 29. Alternatively, the tratlic monitors 2l) system 40 includes information representative of the road 12 may be replaced by video cameras 29. Multiple images may along which the traffic monitors 20 are located, such as a be obtained lry a video camera and the speed of the vehicles map database. The computer system 40 receives the traffic 14 determined based on image analysis of multiple frames 59 information transmitted by the respective traffic monitors from the vicleo camera(s). 20. The information transmitted by the traffic monitors 20 One preferrerl type of monitor 20 utilizes signals from a includes the location or identification of each oarticular digital video camera to provicle the traffic information. traffic monitor 20 together with the clata representative of the Traffic-related information may be obtained by analyzing trallic data provided by the detector 22 and/or video camera thc video sequences from the monitoring video cameras 29. 55 29 at each traffic monitor 20. The computer syslem 40 may The information may includc how fast the traffic moves and manipulate lhe tramc information in some manner, as how congested the roacl is. The speed of the traffic may be necessary, so as to provide average speeds or other statistical derived by measuring the speed of vehicles in the video. The data. In the evenl of video, the computer system 40 may degree of congestion may be estimated by counting the process the images to determine the speed of vehicles. Also, number of vehicles in the video. This invention provides two 66 the video may be provided. Alternatively, the user stations algorithms fbr eslirnating traffic speed and road congeslion may process the traffc information. based on video input. In one embodiment, both the receiver 26 of the traffic The first algorithm is based on optical flow and its flow monitors and the transmitter 30 of computer sysiem are each diagram is shown in FIG. 9. First, the algorithm performs capable of receiving and transmitting data. This allows for camera calibration based on the input video of the road and 65 two way communication between the monitor 20 and the the physical measuremenls of certain markings on the road. computer system 40. Thus, the computer system 40 could Then the algorr'thm (1) takes a number of frames from the remotely operate the trallic monitor 20 to change settings,
diagram is shown in FIG. 10. First, the algorithm performs camera calibration based on the input video of the road and the physical rneasurements of certain markings on the road. ltre algorithm (1) takes a number of frames t'rom the input video; (2) estimates camera motion;
The second algorithm is based on motion blob tracking
Exhibit B Page 19 of28
diagnose problems, and otherwise provide input to
monitor 20 to facilitate collection
example, the video to view a traffic lane of interesr
traflic of traffic data. For camera 29 could be remotely positioned s
910
us
6.466.862 B1
bylhevarioustrafficmonitors20andpassesthesesignalsto
the computer system 40. The computer syslem 40 receives the data from the traffic monitors 20. The computer system may calculate or procss the traffic information for the users, as necessary. lt is not necessary for the traffic monitors 20 to calculate traffic data, if desired. In response to a request from a user station 52, the computer system 40 provides the tra{fic information over the network 50 to the user station 52The svslem 10 has manv advantages. Ii allows a user to receive conlemporaneous lraffic information from a plurality of locations. 11 allows the user to obtain immediate information rather than waiting for the broadcast of information at specified times. Further, the amount of information provided by the system is far superior to that provided by any
suitable manner, such as the examples that follow. A user station 52 is connected to the network 50. Preferablg the user station 52 includes a graphic display unit 54 (see FIG. 3). For example, the user station 52 may be a standard personal computer with a display monitor 54. The network ,o 50 is preferably the Internet. However, the network 50 could also be a 1ocal area network or any other type of closed or open nelwork, or could also be the tclephone network. The user station 52 sends a signal over the network 50 to the
Traffic information may be provided to users in any
computer svstem 40 requesting traffic information. In.. -response to receiving a iequest from the user station 52, the computer syslem 40 transmits traffic information representative of the traffic information collected by the various traffic monitors 20 to the requesting user station 52. The computer system 40 may transmil average speeds detected "n by each of the traffic monitors 20 at each of their respective locations. The tralfic information may be presented to the
othertrafficreportingsystem.Ausercanobtainimmediate and contemporaneous traffic conditions, such as average vehicular speed, trafhc flow, or vehicle frequency, for a plurality of locations along a road. Where traffic monitors are provided along several diferent roads, a commuter may
then select among lhe various altemative routes, depending on the tralljc conditions fbr eacb road. The system also does
not rely on the manual input of information, and
byprovidingmeasureddatarepresentativeof
thus
traffic mon! tors.Theusermayselectu'hichportionsoftheroad'12are r. of interest, and the computer svstem 40 mav transmil tramc
usr as a web page. The computer syslem may send information corresponding to only some of the traffic
provides information more accurately and more quickly. It also eliminates subjective descriptions of traffic information
trafficcondi-
information corresponding to that portion of the road 12. FIG.3 shows an exemplary display 54 displaying the
traffic information provided by the computer system 40.
tions. In one embodiment. the comDuter svstem 40 also receives
thesignalsgeneratedbylhevideocameras29attherespective traffic monilors 20. FIG. 3 shows an exemplary display
computersystem4Oprovidesdatatiomitsmemorywhichis 30 54 in which a video image 129 is provided. In this represenlative of the road 12, such as data from a map embodiment, thc user may select from which lraffic monidatabase, which is displayed as a road 112 on the display 54. toring unit 20 the video imagc L29 is to be received from. The compuler system 40 also provides traffic information For example, a user could initially select to view the image collected by each, or a selecled set, of the respective traffic generated by the video camera at a first location, and then monitors 20 which is displayed in portions ll4a-ll4d 35 later view the image transmitled by another video camera andl'or the traffic information derived from individual mobile 29, preferably at anoiber traffic monitor 20, at a different user stations having a global positioning system locator as location. described in detail beiow. In the exemplary display shown in The system 10 preferably further includes the ability to FIG. 3, the portions 114a-114d display different colors or send messages about road conditions. FIG. 3 shows such an palterns represenlalive of average vehicle speeds (1br a6 exemplarymessage 130intex1 format.Thecompulersystem example, in miles per hour) along dillerent portions of the 40 is capable of storing dala messages and transmitting the road 112. Of course, tbe display may display other types of data messages with the rraffic information. The data mesinformation, such as traffic flow (vehicles per second) or sages would indicate items of particular interest to the
The
vehicle frequency. The display 54 may include information commuter. For example, the texl message L30 could indicate in either graphical or text format to indicate thc portion of a5 that there was an acciclent at a particular location or the road displaycd, such as location of milepost markcrs or milepost, that construstion was occurring at another location place names 116 or milepost, or that highway conditions were particularly While the display 54 shows one format for displaying the severe and tbat alternative routes should be selected. The information, other ibrmats lbr presenting lhe intbrmation system 10 coulcl provide multiple messages through which may likeu'ise be used, as desired- It is not necessary to 56 the user could scroli so as to receive differenl messages in provide a graphical representation of the road 12. Instead, addition to the traffic information received from the various informalion could bc provided in a textual manner, such as, traffic monitors 20. In another embodiment, the user station for example, mile post locations for each of the traffic 52 includes a voice synthesizer capable of reading the monilors 20 and presenting textual traffic information for messages to the user. each location. ss In yet another embocliment, the syslem 10 may also Thus, the system may operale as follows. The traffic provide additional graphical information relating to traffic monilors 20 detect or otherwise sense traffic to provide conditions. For example, the computer system 40 could traffic information. Thc trafific monitors 2O may detect or transmit the location of an accident or construction site otherwise calculatc vehicle spced, average vehicle spced, along the road 12. The information would be displayed on trafficflow,vehiclefrequencv.orotherdatarepresentativeof oo display 54 as an icon or other symbol at the location the tramc. The traffic monitors 20 may sample eilher indicating the presence of an accident or highlvay construccontinuously, or mav sample at intervals to conserve power. tion. Such an icon is shown at 140 in FIG. 3. Alternatively, The transmitter 26 transmils the signals provided by the the computer system could also display an icon representatraffic monitors 20 to the receiver 30 either continuously or tive of a restauranl, gas station, hospital, rest area, or al intervals. Such signals may be either transmitted directly os roadside attraction. In such a system, the computer system to the receiver 30, or may be transmitted through other trafEc would contain or be linked 1o a database containing such monitors 20. The receiver 30 receives the signals received infbrmation. The information could be displayed
Exhibit B Page 20 of 28
us
t1
tion lrom a user.
6.466.862 B1
t2
or analog data, srrch as, lbr example, a digital or
cellular phone.
The user slation 52 may also be contained within a car 60 that further includes an associated gkrbal positioning system
analog
automatically, or in response to a request lbr such informa-
In another exemplary embodimenl, the computer system
40 automatically generates tramc reports to be sent to the
user station 52 at predetermined timcs. For example, a user may indicate that it wishes to receive a traffic report every morning at7:30 a.m. The computer system 40 automatically sends to the user station 52 a1 the predetermined time (7:30 a.m., for example) the traffic information collected from the traffic monitoring units 20. The information could be sent to be displayed, such as in FIG. 3, or could be sent alternatively
s
,n
in a text or graphical format via e-mail. The traffic report may also be provided in a format specilic to the user's
geographic region andT'or user's driving habits, such as anticipated (potential) roule to be traveled. The computer system 40 may also automatically send the traffic information to a display in the user's vehicle in response to some event, such as turoing on the vehicle, time, key press, etc. In another embodimenl, the computer system 40 allows a user to calculate the amount of time necessary to travei from one location to another location along the road 12. The user sends a request to the computer system 40 indicating the two locations along the road along which travei is desired. The usr may, for exarnple, indicate on the display by highlighr ing the tx'o locations on the road 112 using a computer mouse. Alternatively, the two locations may include the user's current location, as dctcrmined by a vehicle based GPS system, so that only the destination needs to be entered. The computer system 40 then calculates the anticipated amount of time it will take to travel from one point to the other point bascd upon the traffic data collected by the various traffic monitors 20 between the two locations. In addition, the system may calculate alternative routes in order to determine the fastest route in view of the traffic information. The computer system 40 then sends a signal back to the usr station 52 to indicate the amount of time that the lravel from the lirst to the second location will take. The route determined as the best uray be overlaid on a map to assist the user in travel. In yet another embodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 shows a divided freeway with vehicle traffic flowing in opposite directions in each of the divided sections. Each section of the fteeway 12 has multiple lanes 12A-12C. The traffic monitors 20 measure traffic in each of the lanes 12A-l2C of each section 12 of thc divided freeway. The monitors 20 may measure traffic on only one portion of the divided freeway, or mav measure traffic conditions in each of the lanes of each of the sections of the divided freeway. The monitor used to measure traffic in multipie lanes may be a digital video
camera.
(GPS) receiver 62. The GPS receiver 62 receives signals from GPS satellites 70 whicb enable the GPS receiver to determine its location. When a commuler requests traffic informalion using the mobile user stalion 52, the request for traffic information may include the location of the user as determined by thc GPS receiver 62. When the computer system 40 reccivcs this request, it provides lraffic informalion back to the mobile user stalion 52 based on the location
of the car 60 as provided by the GPS receiver
62.
Alternatively, the computer system 40 may provide traffic information to the user station 52 which in combination with 1s the position determined by the GPS receiver 62 disptays suitable data to the user on a display or audibly. The user station may also be a cellular phone with an integraied or 20 malion provided by the computer system ,10. The informalion provided is essentially the same as that shown in FIG.
3, except that the display 54 contains at 161 the position of the car 60. The mobile user station 52 provides a significant advantage in that it allows the commuter to immediately 25 determine traffic infornation in the commuter's immediate vicinity based on the commuter's present location. The commuter docs nol have to wait tbr a periodic traffic report.
associated GPS. FIG. 6 shows a represenlative display of the traffic infor-
Further, traflic conditions are provided at a plurality of locations, and the information is contemporaneous. Based 30 on the receipt of such information, the commuter may decide
to use an altemate routc rather than continue on the current
frceway.
lhus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the system provides tbe relevant traffic inlbrmation to the commuter or 35 user on a timely basis. The displav may be tailored to
provide the information for the cunent location of the
commuter, together with the upcoming traffic that lies ahead.
FlG. 8 shows yet another embodiment of a display 54, betweeo respective locations by respective times. which dispiays traffic intbnnation lbr each individual lane of Alternatively, tbe user station 52 may be connected to the the divided freeway shown in FlG. 7- For example, in vehicle's speedometer or odometer, and measure velocity display 54, the trafrc conditions in each individual lane ss using information provided by the vehicle 60 itself. lI2A-llzC. is displayed for the road section 1L2. By disAllernativel1', the compuler system 40 irself could calculate playing conditions for each particular lane, the system has the velocity of each user. In such a system, each user station the advantage of alloq'ing the user to anticipate particular 52 would provide thc computer syslcm 40 with a unique lane problems rvhich may occur ahcad, such as a wreck 140 identification code together with its location. The computcr in lane 112C. In addition, in an alternativE embodiment, the oo system 40 then associates a time using an internal clock with display 54 is capable of displaying the individual location of each location reported by each user. Preferably, the GPS each individual vehicle on the road 112. location is senl together wilh the current time at the user FIG. 4 shows an alternative embocliment of a user station station so that delays incurred in transmission do not change 52. User station 52 is a mobile unit in a car 60. User station the result. The velocity of each user could then be calculated 52 has transmitling and/or receiving unis 64 for communi- os by caiculating the diIlerence in location for a particular user cating with the nel.r,vork 50. Such transmitting and receiving (identilied by ils unique identilication code) by the respecunis 64 may be any devices capable of transmitting digital tive times associated with each of these locations.
In a preferred embodiment, the system obtains tramc information from users that have a GPS receiver 62. In this 40 system, whenever a user station 52 requcsls traflic information from the computer system 40, the computer system 40 associates a velocity (speed) of that particular user with ils current location. I'he velocity mav be determined through a variety of methods. In one svslem, when the user requests 4s traffic information, the user station 52 supplies not only its location but also its currenl velocity. The user station 52 may obtain its current velocity in any fashion. For example, the user station 52 may track its location over time using the GPS receiver 62, and also keep track of the time associated so rvith each location by using an internal clock. The velocity could then be calculated Lry simply dividing the difference
Exhibit B Page 21 of 28
us
13
6,466,862 B1
t4
allow the computer system 40 to gather additional traffic information. This would be useful in the case of vehicle
based Internet browsing for other purposes so that the traffic information would be updated fbr that user and others. In yet
Thus, the computer svstem 40 develops a dalabase consisting of the location of a plurality ofusers together with tlre respective velocities of each of the users. The computer system 40 thus has 1raffic information consisting at leist of the velocity of the traffic for a plurality of locations corre- 5 sponding to the locations for each of the reporting users. It is preferred in such a system that each user station 52 would contribute to the database, but ttre computer system could use data from fewer than all of ihe user stations 52 either requesting information or operating. The system may thus 10 use the information received from the user stations 52 either to calibrate the traffic information provided by monitors 20, or to supplement the trafFc information provided by the lraffic monitors 20. Alternatively, where the number of users is sufficientiy large, the tramc monitors 20 may no longer be i5 necessary, because the users themseives through mobile user stations 52 and GPS receivers 62 provide .enough traffic information to generate usefirl displays of traffic informa-
another alternative, the user station 52 would initiate lhe request to the computer system 40, indicating that traffic information was desired- The computer system 40 would then respond at a sries of timed intervals for a set length of time, for example, providing updates every two minutes for
thirty minutes. In yet another allernative embodiment of the system 10, the mobile user station 52 is a cellular telephone. The computer system 40 includes a voice synthesizer. Auscr may
telephone the computer system 40 over a cellular telephone network. In response to a request lor highway conditions, the computer system 40 generatgs a traffic report and transmits the information usilg the voice synthesizer so that the traffic information may be heard and understood over the commuler's cellular telephone. 'Ihe location of the user may be determined by an associated GPS receiver, or alternatively by lriangulaling the location of the user by measuring the distance between the user and several diff'erent trans-
tion. Thus, the system may provide traffic information without the use of monilors 20 at all, relying solely on information derived tiom the mobile user stations 52. With
26
a large number of users at a plurality of difierent locations, the computer svstem 40 would deveiop a database having a mission receiving towers in clifferent cells. large number of velocities associated with a large number of In yet another embodiment of the present invention the geographic locations. Ideally, if every commuter on a road 25 computer system 40 or user station 52 may calculale the best had a user station 52 wilh a GPS receiver 62, the computer route, such as the lastest, belween a starting point and a system 40 would provide not only velocity data but also destination based on the current traific conditions. fhis traffic density or tralilc fiequency data. Even without every functionality may furlher be provided in the mobile user vehicle having a user slation 52 providing data to the station 52 in the car 60 so that the driver may calculate the computer system 40, lraffic density or traffic frequency could 3s best route lo accommodate for changing lraffic conditions. be calculatecl using statistical techniques that correlato the This also assists thc driver in unfamiliar cities whcre he may reporting user stations 52 with known traffic patterns. be unfamiliar with anticipatcd traftc patterns. The function'Ihus, the combination of the mobile user station 52. GPS ality of providing current tralfc conditions and,/or best route receiver and transmitting and receiving unirs 64 provides an calculations may be overlaid on maps avaiiabie for GPS especialiy advantageous method for collecting traffic infor- 35 systems, household computers, and mobile user s1a1ions. mation. Surprisingly, this system is capable of providing In addition, an early warning system may be incorporated traffic information that is superior to that collected by into the computer syslem, user station, or mobile user station stationary sensors. This is because traffic information may 1o provide waming of impending traffic jams, such as thc bc potentially collecied at more locations based on the result of a traffic accident. For example, if thc avcrage number of mobile user stations 52, and because individual +o vehicle speed on a porlion of a road ahead of a driver is less vehicle speed can be monitored rather than average vehicle tban a preselected velocity, sucb as 25 mph. the computer speed. In addition, the system has a significanl cost advansystem 40 may send a rvaming signal to the mobile user tage in that it is not necessary to install traffic monitors 20, station 52. Alternalively, a velocity less than a preselected or at least the number of traffEc monitors 20 that are percentage or other measure of lhe anticipated veiocily for necessary can be substantially reduced. The system also 45 the particular road may be used as the warning basis. It is provides automalic traffic reporting, and thus does not rely also envisioned within the *-ope of the invention tbat data on thc manual input of data. Furthermore, the system is low communications may be accomplished using radio maintenance, sinc there are no traffic monitors 20 to broadcasLs, preferably encodecl in some manner. maintain. The system is also particularly robust, in that if a Preferably, the computer system 40 and/or the mobile user particular mobile user station 52 malfunctions, traffc infor- 56 station 52 in a vehicle 60 has stored in its associated memory malion can still be collected for a1l locations based on dara a map database represenlalive of the road or highway reported by olher mobiie users. In contrast, if a stationary network that contains longitude and latitude information sensor 20 fails, no dala can be collected from that location. associated with various geographic locations on the map. -I'bis Thus, the collection of 1raffic data from a plurality of mobile ailows easy integration of traffic data that has associuser stations 52 to create a traffic information database s5 ated longitude and latitude information. For example, along provides surprising advantages and a superior system for a particular section of a highway, the map database contains providing traffic information. the latitude and longitude of selected locations of the highIn the svstem describcd above using mobile user stations way. Tbe latitude and longitude of thc various traffic sensors 52 in vehicles, thc user station may initiate contact with the 20 may be predetermincd. When data representative of the computer system 40 by initiating a telephone call to the oo traffic al a particular sensor 20 is received, the computer computer system 40. Aitematively, the computer system 40 system 40 can easily display the traffic information for that could initiate a call to the user station 52, such as over the particular location on the map by associating the geograpbic
Internet using a rveb browser. The user station 52 would respond with an appropriate signal if information was requested. The user station 52 could also, even if no informatron was desired, provide ils currenl location (preferably with current time), and oplionally its velocity as well, to
location of the sensor 20 with the longitude and latitude
information contained in the map database . Similarly, where
os
traflic information is derived from individual mobile user
stations 52 in vehicles 60 which report latitude and longitude
derived tiom the mobile GPS receivers 62, the computer
Exhibit B Page 22 of 28
us
15
6,466,862 81
r6
intbrmation both by locaaion and time. The spacing of the locations for which traffic information is associaled may be database based on lhe user's reported latitude and loneitude. either every half-mile, mile, etc. The spacing depends on the Thus, by ulilizing a map darabase that contains latitu;e and locations of ground basd trafrc monitors and the numbe r of longitude information for various locations, the svstcm can 5 cars traveling through a particular'spacing. If, for example, -displayed easily overlay traffic informatioo on top of the there are traffic monitors spaced every half-mile, then the map data bv associating the geographic data (latitude and traffic intbrmation database may report lrallic information longitude) corresponding ro the tramc information with the for each of those locations. However, lbr a section of road geographic data corresponding to the map. that does not have traffic monitors, the spacing of the F'IGS. 11 to 12 illusrrate such a svstem. F'IG. 1-l shows ,o locations associaling traffic information depends on the schematically a seclion of a road having various locations frequency of vehicles passing along the highrvay and which 20lJl8. Along the road are positioned various sensors are reporting traffic conditions. For example, where the 20a-2$d whose geographic locations have been determined. traffic density is high, there will be a large number of Traveling along the road are a variety of users 401-404 vehicles from which to gather data, and accordingly the having respective user stations and GPS receivers. FIG. 12 spacing between locations may be small, such as % mi1e. illustrates one embodiment of a map and traffic information 15 However, where the traflic density is low, there may be few
database that may be developed to provide trafic information over the network lo individual users. Each of the various locations (or road segments) 201_21.8 has an associated ionginrde and latitucle. In addirion, the database may optionally contain the associated road, as well as optionally the
system 40 can ecsily associare lhe traftic information received from lhe ntobile user station 52 with the map
direction that traffic moves at that location (for example, using a 360 degree compass, 0 degrees would represent straight north while 90 degrees would represent itraight
east). The databasc also includes traffic information, such as
over the period for which data has been collected. Alternatively, the traftlc infornration could be weighted, so requested data based on either the geographic location of the 4s that older trafic intbrmation, though used, is given less user, or lirr the geographic location requested by the user. weight when determining traltrc inlirrmation for a particular The computer system 40 either sends the raw trafrc data location. requesled by the user, or sends a signal representative of the By varying the spacing between locations for which data map and/or traffic database which may be used by the user is associated in ttre database and the length of time over station 52 to rcprcsent the map and traffic informalion on the a5 which information is collected, the database may be condisplay 54. figured to optimize the crrllection and presentation of tral[c 'llre advantage of using a map database thal contains information. For areas with high trallic density, the data may longitude and lalitude inlbrmation associaled with various be galhered over a short period of time, and the spacing locations on a map is that the system allows easy and between locations may be small. For areas with low trafEc automatic integration of traffic information, either to a 56 density, the data may be gathered over long periods of time database or for display. Thus, traffic information mav be and the spacing may be large. The database may be configcollected from an individual userwho provides the longitude ured as traffic conditions change, so that during periods of and latitude for that user based on information derived from congestion the information is gathered only over a short time the user's GPS receiver 62. The computer system then for a particular area, rvhile during periods of freely flowing matches the location of the user to the map database based ss traffic, the information is gathered over a longer time for the on the received longitude and latitude information. The same area.
puter system 40, the computer system 40 transmits the
compuler system 40 can then overlay the traffic information The present invention provides several alternative methdata received from the user onto the map database based ods for displaying traffic information to a commuter using a upon the provided longitude and latitude information. Thus, mobile user station 52. These various altematives allow the the svstem allows traffic information to be updated for a map 60 usr to customize the display 54 to provide the desired database, even though the routes of the individual users are information, and to minimize the amount of operation not predetermined. In other worcls, it is not necessary to needed while driving. In one display embodiment, the knou' the particular route of an inclividuai user in order to display 54 centers the location of the user on the displayed collect useful traffic informarion and to uDdate a traffic map, and is referred to herein as the "Centered Display." In information clatabasc. 65 the Centered Display, the mobile user station 52 determines
the average vehicle velocity calculated for that location. Thus, for example, referring to FlG. 11, the trallic monitor 2Oa may be used to provide the vehicle velocity for location 202. User 401 may be used to provide the vehicle velocity at location 210. Of course, while a database has been illustrated that combines bottr map and traffic inforrnation, the system could use two or more databases containing portions of the infbrmation, such as a separate map database and a separate trafllc inlormation database. An examplc clf a map database useful with such a system is Etak Map@ tiom SONY@. The map database could resicle on either or both the computer system 40 or the mobile user station 52. When a user requests trafhc information from the com-
vehicles from which to gather data, and thus the spacing may be large, such as 3 miles. The 1raffic information database may be conligured so that the spacing is oplimized based on ,o the ability to collect data ior different areas. ltrus, for a section of freeway in a congested area, the spacing of locations for traffic infbrmation may be short, such as % mi1e, while in outlying areas the spacing may be large, such as every three miles. zs Similarly, the amount of time over which data is coilected and averaged may be varied. Ideally, the traffic intbrmation presenied represents trafllc conditions at that momcnl in time. However, it may be necessary to collect data lbr a length of time in order to gather enough data to ei
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