System for measuring the road traffic volume and method for the same

Abstract

The road traffic volume measurement method of the present invention may include: a step of measuring a probe traffic volume that has traveled through a first road space in which road traffic volume is measured; a step of calculating a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each vehicle travel distance in the first road space based on the probe traffic volume and the road traffic volume; and a step of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space based on the probe traffic volume of the second road space in which road traffic volume is not measured and the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a road traffic volume measurement system, and more specifically, to a road traffic volume measurement system that measures or predicts road traffic volume in road sections where road traffic volume is not collected by using vehicle trajectory information collected through a location-based information service. Background Technology

[0003] Road traffic volume is core traffic information required for traffic analysis, traffic information and operation systems, and digital twins of vehicle traffic flow. Due to this necessity, road traffic volume is collected and utilized using traffic volume measurement devices installed on roads.

[0004] However, as the installation and maintenance of traffic volume measurement devices require enormous costs, the reality is that only a very small portion of road sections are equipped with and operated traffic volume measurement devices. Specifically, road sections where traffic volume measurement devices are installed and operated account for only about 5% of all road sections nationwide, and for approximately 95% of road sections, traffic volume information is not collected, making it difficult to quantify the traffic volume of those sections.

[0005] A technology utilizing navigation traffic volume, which constitutes a portion of vehicular traffic, has been proposed to investigate traffic volume in road sections where conventional road traffic data is not collected. However, current technology suffers from numerous issues, including the need for multiple adjacent traffic observation points, failure to meet required investigation accuracy, uninvestigated or inconsistent route traffic volumes, and a lack of spatial transferability of model parameter values. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a technology capable of replacing traffic volume measurement devices by effectively resolving these problems.

[0006] The information described above is presented merely as background information to aid in understanding the present invention. No decision has been made, nor is any claim made, regarding whether any of the above contents are applicable as prior art relating to the present invention. Prior art literature

[0008] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application No. 10-2017-0048888 The problem to be solved

[0009] The technical problem of the present invention is to measure or predict traffic volume in road spaces where traffic volume information is not collected by utilizing the travel characteristics (e.g., travel distance or travel time) between the origin and destination of a vehicle's travel trajectory and the navigation usage rate characteristics based on these travel characteristics.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention measures route traffic volume in a traffic network by utilizing traffic characteristics and navigation usage rate characteristics based on traffic characteristics, and utilizes the measured road space traffic volume and route traffic volume for various traffic analyses.

[0011] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0013] A road traffic volume measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a step of measuring a probe traffic volume that has traveled through a first road space in which road traffic volume is measured; a step of calculating a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each vehicle travel distance in the first road space based on the probe traffic volume and the road traffic volume; and a step of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space based on the probe traffic volume of the second road space in which road traffic volume is not measured and the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient.

[0014] Here, in the step of measuring the probe traffic volume, the probe traffic volume can be calculated as the quantity of a navigation device that provides a vehicle movement trajectory that has traveled in the first road space.

[0015] In addition, in the step of measuring the probe traffic volume, the probe traffic volume using the first road space can be subdivided and grouped from a group with short travel distances to a group with long travel distances based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of the navigation device, so that the origin and destination distance distribution can be calculated.

[0016] In addition, in the step of calculating the traffic volume totalization coefficient, the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each group may be calculated such that the coefficient for the group with the short travel distance is greater than the coefficient for the group with the long travel distance, and the coefficient having the minimum value among the multiple coefficients within the group may be calculated as the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each group.

[0017] In addition, in the step of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space, the probe traffic volume using the second road space is grouped by travel distance, and the road traffic volume for each group can be estimated by multiplying the probe traffic volume of each group by the calculated traffic volume conversion coefficient for each group.

[0018] Additionally, it may further include a step of estimating route traffic volume based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of an individual trip (vehicle) traveling along a route composed of a set of road spaces for which a traffic volume totalization coefficient by travel distance group has been calculated.

[0019] A road traffic volume measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include: a navigation device that provides a vehicle's movement trajectory and the travel distance between a starting point and a destination; a road traffic volume measurement device that measures and provides the road traffic volume of a specific road space; and a control system that calculates probe traffic volume based on the number of navigation devices that have traveled through the specific road space, calculates a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance for the specific road space based on the measured road traffic volume of the road space, and applies the traffic volume totalization coefficient to another road space where the road traffic volume measurement device is not equipped to estimate the road traffic volume of the other road space.

[0020] Here, the control system can specify the road space used by the vehicle based on the vehicle's movement trajectory and update the probe traffic volume of the travel distance group of the previously established departure-arrival distance distribution according to the travel distance between the departure point and the destination.

[0021] In addition, the control system can estimate the road traffic volume by travel distance group of another road space by multiplying the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient by the probe traffic volume using another road space that is not equipped with the road traffic volume measuring device.

[0022] In addition, the control system can estimate the road traffic volume of another road space by summing the road traffic volumes calculated for each travel distance group in another road space that is not equipped with the road traffic volume measuring device. Effects of the invention

[0024] According to the road traffic volume measurement system of the present invention, the road traffic volume measurement technology using the vehicle trajectory travel distance between origin and destination points enables the measurement of traffic volume in road sections and intersections where traffic volume is not collected, and enables the measurement of route traffic volume in road networks where route traffic volume is not collected. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a road traffic volume measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a road traffic volume measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the characteristics of traffic volume according to the travel distance between the origin and the destination. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the process of measuring road space traffic volume using the origin-destination distance distribution and the traffic volume totalization coefficient. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of calculating the traffic volume conversion coefficient by travel distance group in this embodiment. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the process of measuring route traffic volume by applying a traffic volume totalization factor to individual traffic. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0027] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present invention will be described in detail. The terms used in this invention have been selected to be as generally used as possible, taking into account their functions within the invention; however, these terms may vary depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Additionally, in specific cases, terms have been arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the relevant description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in this invention should be defined not merely by their names, but based on their meanings and the overall content of the invention.

[0028] The system, device, and each module or unit constituting the same according to the embodiments may have aspects that are entirely hardware or partially hardware and partially software. For example, each component of the system refers to a combination of hardware and software driven by said hardware. The hardware may be a data processing device including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or other processor. Additionally, the software driven by the hardware may refer to a running process, object, executable, thread of execution, program, etc.

[0029] When a part of a specification is described as "including" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0031] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present invention, such detailed description will be omitted.

[0032] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a road traffic volume measurement system according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a road traffic volume measurement method according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the characteristics of traffic volume according to the travel distance between the origin and the destination, FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the process of measuring road space traffic volume using the origin-destination distance distribution and the traffic volume totalization coefficient, FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an example of calculating the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group of the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the process of measuring route traffic volume by applying the traffic volume totalization coefficient to individual travel.

[0033] Before describing the present invention in detail, the terms used in this embodiment are defined as follows. "Road space" may be defined as a plurality of road sections, road points between each road section, driving lanes, and turning sections of driving lanes that change the road space. "Route" or "road route" may be defined as a set of a series of plurality of road spaces. "Road space traffic volume" is defined as the number of vehicles that traveled a given road space during a given period, "route traffic volume" is defined as the number of vehicles that traveled a given route during a given period, and "navigation device" may be defined as a hardware device and software installed on a vehicle or portable terminal for measuring vehicle location information, collecting driving information, and providing driving information guidance. "Movement trajectory" is defined as a series of vehicle location information from a starting point to a destination collected by a navigation device, "probe traffic volume" is defined as the quantity of navigation devices that have traveled within a given road space during a given time, and "origin-destination distance distribution" can be defined as the frequency distribution of travel distances from the starting point to the destination of movement trajectories that have traveled within a given road space during a given time.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a road traffic volume measurement system (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a navigation device (110), a road traffic volume measurement device (120), and a control system (130), and the control system (130) may be configured to include a communication module (131), a memory (132), and a processor (133). However, the above-described components are not essential for implementing the system, and the system may have more or fewer components than the above-described components.

[0035] The navigation device (110) is intended to provide location information of the vehicle and the movement trajectory of the vehicle. The navigation device (110) of the present embodiment may include at least one of a built-in navigation system installed in the vehicle at the time of the vehicle's release, a detachable navigation system mounted on a part of the vehicle, or a navigation app such as T-Map installed on the vehicle user's mobile terminal. Here, the navigation device (110) may transmit the vehicle's location coordinates to the control system (130) at predetermined time intervals, for example, time intervals of 1 to 3 seconds. Additionally, the navigation device (110) may provide the movement trajectory to the starting point and destination set by the vehicle driver to the control system (130), and through this movement trajectory of the vehicle, the travel distance between the starting point and destination (hereinafter referred to as travel distance) and the road space where the vehicle moves may be verified by the control system (130). Meanwhile, information from the navigation device (110) can be transmitted to the control system (130) in various ways. For example, a navigation app can transmit information via a commercial communication network such as LTE of a mobile terminal, an embedded navigation system can transmit information using software for remote vehicle control and monitoring specific to each car manufacturer, such as Hyundai Motor's BlueLink service, and a mounted navigation system can transmit location information to the control system (130) through the manufacturer's management software and management server.

[0036] The road traffic volume measuring device (120) is intended to measure the road traffic volume of a specific road space. The road traffic volume measuring device (120) can measure the number of vehicles traveling in the specific road space and transmit it to the control system (130). The road traffic volume measured in the specific road space can be used as basic data for calculating the traffic volume conversion coefficient in the control system (130) of this embodiment.

[0037] The control system (130) calculates probe traffic volume based on the number of navigation devices (110) that have traveled through a specific road space (first road space), calculates a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance for the specific road space based on the measured road traffic volume of the road space, and applies the traffic volume totalization coefficient to another road space (second road space) where a road traffic volume measuring device (120) is not provided, in order to estimate the road traffic volume of the other road space. The control system (130) of this embodiment may include a communication module (131), a memory (132), and a processor (133). However, the components of this control system (130) include only functionally essential components, and the control system (130) may be configured by adding various additional components.

[0038] The communication module (131) is for performing data communication between the navigation device (110) and the road traffic volume measuring device (120), and can communicate data regarding the vehicle's movement trajectory, travel distance, location information, and road traffic volume information of a specific road space in real time using a commercial wireless communication network such as LTE or a wired communication network. The communication specifications and methods of the communication module (131) may be freely modified and implemented by those skilled in the art.

[0039] The memory (132) can store application software for calculating a traffic volume totalization coefficient based on various information transmitted to the control system (130) and for estimating road traffic volume in a road space where a road traffic volume measuring device is not equipped based on the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient, as well as received information and calculated information. That is, the memory (132) of the present embodiment may include an arrival / departure distance distribution calculation module (134) that calculates an arrival / departure distance distribution using movement trajectories and travel distances from a navigation device (110), a traffic volume totalization coefficient calculation module (135) that calculates a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group for a road space using the probe traffic volume and arrival / departure distance distribution of the road space, a road traffic volume estimation module (136) that calculates or estimates road traffic volume using the traffic volume totalization coefficient, and a database (137) that stores such application software and various information. Meanwhile, in the memory (132) of the present embodiment, various modules and databases are distinguished and named for convenience of explanation, and substantially, the modules and databases (137) may be information stored in the memory (132), and such information and application software may be read, executed, or processed by the processor (133).

[0040] The processor (133) controls the control system (130) by reading and executing various application software or information stored in the memory (132). The processor (133) loads and executes the departure / arrival distance distribution calculation module (134) of the memory (132) to use the vehicle location information, movement trajectory, and travel distance transmitted from the navigation device (110) to identify the road space where the vehicle travels and to update the probe traffic volume of the departure / arrival distance distribution already established in the database (137). Additionally, the processor (133) loads and executes the traffic volume totalization coefficient calculation module (135) to calculate the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group of the specific road space based on the previously established departure / arrival distance distribution and the measured road traffic volume for each travel distance of the specific road space. Additionally, the processor (133) can estimate road traffic volume by executing a road traffic volume estimation module (136) and multiplying the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient by the probe traffic volume of vehicles moving in other road spaces where road traffic volume is not calculated because a road traffic volume measuring device (120) is not provided. Additionally, the processor (133) can estimate or measure various road or path traffic volumes using the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient, such as by estimating the cumulative path traffic volume for a path composed of multiple road spaces through the road traffic volume estimation module (136).

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 2, a road traffic volume measurement method executed by a processor (133) of a control system (130) of a road traffic volume measurement system of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration may include: a step (S110) of measuring probe traffic volume that has moved through a first road space where road traffic volume is measured; a step (S120) of calculating a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each vehicle travel distance for the first road space based on probe traffic volume and road traffic volume; and a step (S130) of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space based on probe traffic volume of the second road space where road traffic volume is not measured and the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient.

[0042] With reference to FIG. 3, the step (S110) of measuring probe traffic volume moving through the first road space where road traffic volume is measured can calculate the departure and arrival distance distribution using the travel distances of the movement trajectories using the first road space during a given time length, based on the movement trajectory of the vehicle transmitted from the navigation device (110), by the departure and arrival distance distribution calculation module (134) loaded and executed by the processor (133). That is, the number of navigation devices (110) of vehicles moving through the first road space during a certain period of time can be calculated as probe traffic volume. With reference to FIG. 3, in the distribution of probe traffic volume according to travel distance, even if the total probe traffic volume in the same road space is the same for three cases (city direction, outskirts direction, and highway direction), the travel distance-probe traffic volume behavior may vary, and this diversity of forms may be closely related to the utilization rate of the route guidance service of the navigation device (110), and furthermore, the utilization rate of the route guidance service of the navigation device (110) tends to increase as the travel distance increases. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the travel distance-probe traffic volume characteristic can be defined as the origin-destination distance distribution, which is the relationship between the travel distance group and the probe traffic volume. Meanwhile, in the origin-destination distance distribution, the probe traffic volume may be replaced by the total probe traffic volume and the probability density of the probe traffic volume for the travel distance group. In FIG. 4, the probe traffic volume in the first road space, where a road traffic volume measuring device (120) is provided and road traffic volume can be measured, can be subdivided based on travel distance into groups ranging from a short travel distance group (Group 1) to a long travel distance group (Group 6 in FIG. 4). Meanwhile, since the probe traffic volume is a direct sample of the road space traffic volume, if the origin-destination distance distribution of the road space and the traffic volume totalization coefficient (hereinafter, traffic volume totalization coefficient, e) for each travel distance group are given, it is possible to measure the traffic volume (units / hour length) of the road space through totalization (i.e., ∑f×e) of the probe traffic volume (f) of the origin-destination distance distribution.That is, in a second road space where road traffic volume cannot be directly measured, the road traffic volume of the second road space can be indirectly measured (estimated) by multiplying the probe traffic volume, which is the quantity of the vehicle navigation device (110), and the group traffic volume conversion coefficient corresponding to the departure and arrival distance distribution.

[0043] The step (S120) of calculating the traffic volume totalization coefficient by vehicle travel distance for the first road space based on probe traffic volume and road traffic volume can be performed by a traffic volume totalization coefficient calculation module (135) loaded and executed by the processor (133), using the departure and arrival distance distribution for multiple road spaces and the actual measured road traffic volume, through an error minimization process to calculate the traffic volume totalization coefficient. That is, the input data for calculating the coefficient by the traffic volume totalization coefficient calculation module (135) is the measured departure and arrival distance distribution and the road traffic volume of the measured road space, and the output value can be the traffic volume totalization coefficient. In this case, regarding the traffic volume totalization coefficient by travel distance of the departure and arrival distance distribution, the coefficient for the group with a short travel distance must be greater than the coefficient for the group with a long travel distance, and the coefficient having the minimum value among multiple coefficients within one group can be calculated as the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each group. This is an example of calculating the traffic volume totalization factor; as illustrated in Fig. 5, the traffic volume totalization factor for each group can be calculated through a method of selecting a route that minimizes evaluation indicators. Referring to Fig. 5, in the method for determining the totalization factor for each travel distance group, each variable can first be defined. e max is the observed maximum traffic volume, e min is 1.0, so the totalization factor (e) cannot be greater than the observed maximum traffic volume and is greater than 1.0. The travel distance group tg=[1,2,3,...,g,...G], where the travel distance of g is less than g+1. e i is the i-th totalization coefficient curve [e1 i , e2 i , e3 i ,... e g i, ...e G i ] and the initial boundary condition is emin≤ ≤emax, where e g i ≥e g+1 i This becomes the case, which means that the totalization coefficient decreases because the navigation usage rate is high when the travel distance is long. The boundary of the totalization coefficient for each travel distance group (g) of tg=[1,2,3,...,g,...G] is e g min wa e g max Defined as, and k is e g min wa e g max This can be the case of the expected totalization factor existing between them. In this method, the evaluation metric is |1.0-r based on the perfect alignment (y=x). 2 It can be |, where the evaluation index value indicates that the closer to +0.0, the more the estimated road traffic volume is a totalization factor curve that better explains the observed road traffic volume. Assuming G=5 and k=4, in the ITR=1st operation, Step 1 calculates k totalization factor nodes for each g. When k=1, e g,k =e max -0×e d and when k=2, e g,k =e max -1×e d and when k=3, e g,k =e max -2×e d as, e g,k =e max -(k-1)×e d It becomes, and here e d =(e max -e min ) / (k-1). Step 2 involves selecting the path that minimizes the evaluation metric; all paths that can be generated in the direction are candidates for the totalization coefficient curve, and one of these candidates is defined as the I-th totalization coefficient curve. All candidates for the totalization coefficient curve are eg i ≥e g+1 i The conditions must be satisfied. Among the candidates, the path with the smallest evaluation metric value, i.e., the totalization coefficient curve, is selected. Step 3 is e for each group g,min wa e g,max By adjusting, the maximum / minimum devaluation coefficients for each group (g) are adjusted using the selected devaluation coefficient curve. Referring to FIG. 5, for the passing nodes (j={1, 2, ..., k}) of the group (g) per row, if j≤k / 2, then e g,min =e g,3 and e g,max =e g,1 Does it become this, otherwise e g,min =e g,4 and e g,max =e g,2 It becomes. In the ITR > 1st operation, Step 1 is the adjusted e g,min and e g,max Using this, k totalization coefficient nodes are calculated for each g, Step 2 selects the path that minimizes the evaluation metric, and Step 3 is e for each group g,min and e g,max Adjusts . For all g, e g,max -e g,min <e cvg It terminates when the condition is satisfied, where e cvg is a convergence condition and can be any input value, for example, e cvg It can be =0.001.

[0044] The step (S130) of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space based on the probe traffic volume of the second road space where road traffic volume is not measured and the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient can be performed by a road traffic volume estimation module (136) loaded and executed by the processor (133), which groups the probe traffic volume using the second road space by travel distance, and estimates the road traffic volume for each group by multiplying the probe traffic volume of each group and the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient for each group. The input values ​​of the road traffic volume estimation module (136) are the origin-destination distance distribution of the second road space (Fig. 4) and the measured traffic volume totalization coefficient, and the output value can be the road traffic volume of the second road space.

[0045] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the road traffic volume measurement method of the present embodiment may further include a step (S140) of estimating route traffic volume based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of an individual trip (vehicle) traveling along a route composed of a set of road spaces for which a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group has been calculated. The step (S140) of estimating route traffic volume can estimate or measure various forms of route traffic volume using the route of individual trips and the measured traffic volume totalization coefficient by a road traffic volume estimation module (136) loaded and executed by a processor (133). Referring to FIG. 6, individual trips 1 through 5 can each be classified according to the travel distance between the origin and destination. That is, individual trips can be individual vehicles (or navigation devices) traveling along a route composed of multiple road spaces. For individual trips, a traffic volume totalization factor can be assigned to each trip as a trip load corresponding to the travel distance between the origin and destination input by the driver through the navigation device (110). For example, with reference to FIG. 4, in the case of Trip 1, the travel distance between the origin and destination is 0 km or more and less than 10 km, and it is confirmed that the travel trajectory occupies road space 2 to road space 4. Accordingly, Trip 1 is assigned a traffic volume totalization factor of "100," and a trip load of 100 can be assigned to each of the road spaces 2 to road space 4 occupied by Trip 1. Similarly, if the travel distance of Trip 2 is 15 km, the traffic volume totalization factor of Trip 2 is assigned as 50 (vehicles / hour length) with reference to FIG. 4, and a trip load of 50 can be assigned to each of the road spaces 1 to road space 3 occupied by Trip 2.Meanwhile, the load of each traffic is accumulated in each road space, thereby assigning a load of 50 to Road Space 1 of Traffic 2 (Traffic 1 does not occupy Road Space 1), assigning 150 to Road Spaces 2 and 3 respectively by accumulating the load of 50 of Traffic 2 to the load of 100 of the previous Traffic 1, and assigning a load of 100 of Traffic 1 to Road Space 4 (Traffic 2 does not occupy Road Space 4). Figure 6 shows that the accumulated traffic volume, which is the sum of the traffic volume totalization coefficients assigned to the road spaces, can be calculated when the traffic load is completed for all road spaces constituting the route. Through the traffic loads for the road spaces secured in this way, the traffic volume of the route can be estimated or measured. For example, if the target route determined by a specific trip is assumed to be [Road Space 3-Road Space 4-Road Space 5], the trips including the target route are Trip 3, Trip 4, and Trip 5, and since the assigned traffic volume totalization factors are 50, 15, and 5 respectively, the route traffic volume of the target route can be measured as 70. In addition, the origin-destination traffic volume of the set of road spaces can also be measured. Assuming the set of target road spaces is [road space 3, road space 4, road space 5], traffic that includes at least one of the road spaces included in the target road space is [travel 1 (road space 3→4, 100 vehicles), travel 2 (road space 3→3, 50 vehicles), travel 3, 4, 5 (road space 3→5, 50+15+5=70 vehicles)], the origin-destination traffic volume for the origin-destination [road space 3→4, 3→3, 3→5] in the target road space can be measured as [100, 50, 70].

[0046] As described above, the present embodiment has the effect of estimating road traffic volume by applying the road traffic volume totalization coefficient (multiplying with probe traffic volume) to road spaces where road traffic volume cannot be measured, based on the road traffic volume totalization coefficient calculated for road spaces where road traffic volume can be measured.

[0047] Meanwhile, the functional operations and embodiments of the subject described herein may be implemented as digital electronic circuits, or as computer software, firmware, or hardware comprising the structures and structural equivalents disclosed herein, or as a combination of one or more of these. The embodiments of the subject described herein may be implemented as one or more computer program products, that is, as one or more modules relating to computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program storage medium for controlling the operation of a control system or for execution by such control system.

[0048] A computer-readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of a material that affects a machine-readable radio wave signal, or a combination of one or more of these.

[0049] In this specification, the terms “system” or “device” encompass all mechanisms, devices, and machines for controlling data, including, for example, programmable processors, computers, or multiple processors or computers. In addition to hardware, the control system may include code that forms an execution environment for a computer program upon request, such as, for example, code constituting processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of these.

[0050] A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) may be written in any form of a programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, or a priori or procedural languages, and may be deployed in any form, including a standalone program, a module, a component, a subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computer environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may be stored in a single file provided to the requested program, in multiple interacting files (e.g., a file storing one or more modules, subprograms, or parts of code), or in a part of a file containing other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored within a markup language document). A computer program may be deployed to be executed on multiple computers or a single computer located at a single site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0051] Meanwhile, computer-readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data may include all forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, such as semiconductor memory devices like EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices, magnetic disks like internal hard disks or external disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Processors and memory may be supplemented by or integrated with special-purpose logic circuits.

[0052] An embodiment of the subject described herein may be implemented in a computing system comprising, for example, a backend component such as a data server, for example, a middleware component such as an application server, for example, a frontend component such as a client computer having a web browser or a graphical user interface through which a user can interact with the embodiment of the subject described herein, or any combination of one or more such backend, middleware, or frontend components. Components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, such as a communication network.

[0053] Although this specification contains details of a number of specific embodiments, they should not be understood as limiting the scope of any invention or claimables, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention. Likewise, specific features described in this specification in the context of individual embodiments may be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any appropriate sub-combination. Furthermore, while features may operate in a specific combination and be described as initially claimed, one or more features from the claimed combination may be excluded from the combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may be changed to a sub-combination or a variation of the sub-combination.

[0054] Furthermore, although operations are described in the drawings in a specific order in this specification, it should not be understood that such operations must be performed in that specific or sequential order depicted to obtain a desirable result, or that all depicted operations must be performed. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Additionally, the separation of the various system components of the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0055] As such, this specification is not intended to limit the invention to the specific terms presented. Accordingly, although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the examples described above, those skilled in the art may make modifications, changes, and variations to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims set forth below rather than by the detailed description above, and all modifications or variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalents thereof should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0057] 100: Road traffic volume measurement system

Claims

Claim 1 delete Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 A road traffic volume measurement method in which at least one step is executed by a processor, comprising: a step of measuring a probe traffic volume that has traveled through a first road space in which road traffic volume is measured; and a step of calculating a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each vehicle travel distance group for the first road space based on the probe traffic volume and the road traffic volume. A road traffic volume measurement method comprising the step of estimating the road traffic volume of a second road space based on the probe traffic volume of a second road space in which road traffic volume is not measured and the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group calculated above, wherein in the step of measuring the probe traffic volume, the probe traffic volume is calculated as the quantity of a navigation device that provides the vehicle movement trajectory of a vehicle traveling in the first road space, and the probe traffic volume using the first road space is subdivided and grouped from a group with short travel distances to a group with long travel distances based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of the navigation device to calculate the origin-destination distance distribution, and in the step of calculating the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group, the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group is calculated such that the coefficient for the group with short travel distances is greater than the coefficient for the group with long travel distances, and the coefficient having the minimum value among a plurality of coefficients within the group is calculated as the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group. Claim 5 A road traffic volume measurement method according to claim 4, wherein, in the step of estimating the road traffic volume of the second road space, the probe traffic volume using the second road space is grouped by travel distance, and the road traffic volume for each travel distance group is estimated by multiplying the probe traffic volume of each group by the calculated traffic volume conversion coefficient for each travel distance group. Claim 6 A road traffic volume measurement method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of estimating route traffic volume based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of an individual traveling vehicle traveling along a route composed of a set of road spaces for which the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group is calculated. Claim 7 A navigation device that provides the vehicle's movement trajectory and the travel distance between the origin and destination; a road traffic volume measuring device that measures and provides the road traffic volume of a specific road space; A road traffic volume measurement system comprising: a control system that calculates probe traffic volume based on the number of navigation devices that have traveled through the specific road space, calculates a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group for the specific road space based on the measured road traffic volume of the specific road space, and applies the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group to another road space where the road traffic volume measurement device is not equipped to estimate the road traffic volume of the other road space; wherein the control system calculates the origin-destination distance distribution by subdividing and grouping the probe traffic volume using the specific road space from a group with short travel distances to a group with long travel distances based on the travel distance between the origin and destination of the navigation device, and calculates a traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group such that the coefficient of the group with short travel distances is greater than the coefficient of the group with long travel distances, wherein the coefficient having the minimum value among a plurality of coefficients within the group is calculated as the traffic volume totalization coefficient for each travel distance group. Claim 8 In claim 7, the control system is a road traffic volume measurement system that specifies the road space used by the vehicle based on the movement trajectory of the vehicle and updates the probe traffic volume of the travel distance group of the origin-destination distance distribution established according to the travel distance between the origin and destination. Claim 9 In claim 8, the control system is a road traffic volume measurement system that estimates the road traffic volume by travel distance group of another road space by multiplying the calculated traffic volume totalization coefficient by the probe traffic volume using another road space that is not equipped with the road traffic volume measurement device. Claim 10 In claim 9, the control system is a road traffic volume measurement system that estimates the road traffic volume of another road space by summing the road traffic volume calculated for each travel distance group of another road space that is not equipped with the road traffic volume measurement device.

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