Bloom Filter Encoding for Map-Agnostic Traffic Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems face challenges in providing up-to-date traffic data across different map versions, leading to performance and maintenance issues due to the need for multiple map versions on servers, which consume storage space and hinder rapid updates.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of bloom filters to encode traffic data using map version agnostic identifiers, allowing for bandwidth-efficient transmission and decoding of traffic data independent of map versions, enabling clients to receive up-to-date traffic information without requiring the latest map version.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the server maintains multiple map versions to provide traffic data for clients with different map versions, then clients can receive accurate traffic data, but server storage space is consumed and maintenance complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of traffic dataVSAvoidserver storage space

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the map version dependency from the traffic data provision process. Instead of storing multiple map versions, the system extracts only the essential road segment identifiers (encoded in bloom filters) that are needed to match client requests. This allows the server to provide accurate traffic data without maintaining multiple complete map versions, significantly reducing storage space while preserving reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces bloom filters as an intermediary data structure between the server's traffic data and the client's map version. These probabilistic data structures encode road segment identifiers in a compact form that enables efficient matching without requiring the server to store or process complete map versions. This intermediary mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling accurate matching while minimizing storage requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the server maintains multiple map versions to support clients with different map versions, then traffic data can be provided accurately, but system maintenance and updates become more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of traffic dataVSAvoidmaintenance complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the necessary identifier information from complete map versions, storing it in compact bloom filter structures. This extraction approach eliminates the need to maintain and synchronize multiple full map versions on the server, significantly reducing maintenance complexity while preserving the ability to provide accurate traffic data matching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs bloom filters as lightweight, disposable data structures that can be quickly generated and discarded. These compact encodings of road segment identifiers replace the need for maintaining persistent multiple map versions, reducing both storage overhead and maintenance complexity while enabling rapid updates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the server stores a large number of map versions to support all clients, then all clients can receive traffic data, but bandwidth usage increases for transmitting and managing data

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with different map versionsVSAvoidbandwidth usage

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential road segment identifier information needed for traffic data matching, encoding it in compact bloom filters. This extraction eliminates the need to transmit and manage multiple complete map versions, significantly reducing bandwidth usage while maintaining compatibility with clients using different map versions through the universal road segment identifier matching mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the representation parameter of road segment data from complete map version files to compressed bloom filter encodings. This parameter transformation reduces data size dramatically, enabling the server to support multiple map versions compatibly while minimizing bandwidth consumption for data transmission and management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11499838B2Method, system, and computer program product for providing traffic data

Publication Date: 2022.11.15 HERE GLOBAL BV

AI summary

A method, a system, and a computer program product may be provided for providing traffic data to a client device. The system may receive from the client device, a request for traffic data corresponding to road segments of at least one map area, said request identifying the at least one map area and determine road segment identifiers corresponding to each of the road segments of the at least one map area and determine traffic data for at least a portion of the road segment identifiers, said traffic data obtained from a traffic data source. The system may further determine a plurality of traffic ranges based on the obtained traffic data and generate a bloom filter set, each bloom filter of the bloom filter set corresponding to a traffic range of the plurality of traffic ranges, wherein each bloom filter encodes road segment identifiers corresponding to the respective traffic range.