Traffic Condition Assessment Using Mobile Data Sources
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for obtaining road traffic condition data are limited by the lack of accurate and timely information, especially in areas without road sensors, and often provide data in raw or disaggregated forms, which are of limited utility.
Innovation Solution
A system that assesses road traffic conditions using data samples from vehicles and other mobile data sources, supplemented by data from physical sensors, through filtering, conditioning, and probabilistic determinations to provide accurate and detailed traffic information in real-time or near-real-time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If road sensors are installed to provide detailed traffic condition information, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses mobile data sources (vehicles, smartphones) as mobile copies of fixed sensors. These mobile devices replicate sensor functionality by collecting traffic data (speed, density, flow) while moving through the network, providing continuous measurements without requiring permanent sensor installations at every location.
Solution Approach 2:
Mobile data sources serve multiple functions: they act as sensors for traffic measurement, as data collection points for network monitoring, and as mobile computing nodes for local data processing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated sensor infrastructure while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
2Ease of operation
If human observations are collected from drivers via cellphones, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision and data reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile data sources automatically collect and transmit traffic data without requiring active human participation or manual input. Vehicles and smartphones autonomously gather speed, location, and traffic density information from their existing sensors and communication capabilities, eliminating the need for drivers to manually report conditions while maintaining data reliability through automated measurement.
3Area of stationary object
If traffic data is collected from multiple mobile sources, then coverage area is improved, but data quality and reliability deteriorate due to errors and outliers
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors data quality from mobile sources and uses feedback mechanisms to identify and correct errors. By comparing measurements from multiple sources and detecting inconsistencies or outliers, the system adjusts data collection and processing to maintain reliability while expanding coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different data processing and validation techniques to different mobile data sources based on their individual characteristics and reliability. Each mobile source is evaluated locally for quality metrics, and processing methods are adapted to the specific characteristics of each source, ensuring high data quality across the entire coverage area.
4Speed
If road sensors are used to provide real-time traffic information, then speed of information provision is improved, but loss of information occurs when sensors are broken or data transmission fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system discards corrupted or unavailable data from failed sensors or transmission errors and recovers information by aggregating data from alternative mobile sources. When certain data points are lost due to sensor failure or transmission issues, the system recovers the overall picture by combining information from multiple surviving mobile data sources, maintaining continuous information flow.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for assessing road traffic conditions in various ways based on obtained traffic-related data, such as data samples from vehicles and other mobile data sources traveling on the roads, as well as in some situations data from one or more other sources (such as physical sensors near to or embedded in the roads). The assessment of road traffic conditions based on obtained data samples may include various filtering and/or conditioning of the data samples, and various inferences and probabilistic determinations of traffic-related characteristics of interest from the data samples. In some situations, at least some of the mobile data sources are configured to frequently acquire and store data samples, and to occasionally make multiple such data samples available together for use in the road traffic condition assessment (e.g., by acquiring a data sample every minute and by transmitting a group of stored data samples every 15 minutes).