Precomputing Optimal Path Matrices Using Traffic Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional routing software faces challenges in efficiently determining optimized solutions for complex routing problems, particularly when dealing with a large number of locations or extensive geographical areas, due to high computer resource usage and inefficiencies in traffic data utilization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves precomputing optimal path matrices using traffic windows defined by inflection points in traffic data, which reduces computer resource usage by calculating travel time estimates for each defined traffic window and utilizing a geo-locator service and zone servers to distribute routing problem solutions efficiently across servers with varying memory capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional routing software calculates shortest paths on-demand for each query, then routing solutions can be provided for any time, but computer resource usage becomes excessively high and determination speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precomputes shortest path matrices for multiple time windows and stores them in advance. When a routing query is received, the system retrieves precomputed matrices corresponding to the query time window, avoiding on-demand calculation. This preliminary action significantly reduces both determination speed and computer resource usage during actual routing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the continuous time dimension into discrete traffic windows based on historical traffic data patterns. Each time window has precomputed shortest path matrices stored separately. This segmentation allows the system to efficiently retrieve only the relevant time window's matrices rather than computing or storing all possible time variations, reducing overall computational load.
2Productivity
If precomputed path matrices are stored for all possible time windows, then routing queries can be answered rapidly, but memory requirements become prohibitively large
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary computation of shortest path matrices during off-peak hours and stores them in a database. When a routing query arrives, the system quickly retrieves the appropriate precomputed matrices based on the query time window, achieving rapid response without requiring all matrices to be in immediate memory.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a database as an intermediary between the computation system and the routing query system. Precomputed matrices are stored in the database and retrieved on-demand, allowing the system to maintain large sets of precomputed data without requiring all data to be simultaneously accessible in memory, thus reducing memory requirements while maintaining fast query performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method involves accelerating the electronic determination of high quality solutions to routing problems by utilizing determined optimized time windows for precomputing optimal path matrices to reduce computer resource usage. The use of traffic windows defined based on changes in rates of change of speeds for traffic on road segments allows for more rapid determination of a set of one or more high quality solutions as compared to requiring on-demand, in-process determination of a shortest path for a particular time during comparison of paths or routes performed as part of a process for determining high quality solutions to the routing problem.