Vehicle Path Probability Modeling at Junction Decision Points

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems struggle with inaccurate path prediction, particularly when drivers deviate from routine routes, as they rely on rule-based calculations that do not account for individual driving habits and are limited by the availability of historical data.

Innovation Solution

A machine-learning model that processes state vectors of traversed and candidate path segments, trained on historic trip data, to predict path probabilities, incorporating both general and user-specific behaviors, using neural networks and contextual information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If rule-based calculations are used to determine path probabilities, then the system can operate without individual historical data, but the prediction accuracy deteriorates because driver habits are not accounted for

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem operability without individual dataVSAvoidpath prediction accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts between two operational modes: using rule-based calculations when individual historical data is unavailable, and switching to machine learning model predictions when data exists. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to maintain operability in data-scarce scenarios while achieving high accuracy when data is available.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameter from pure rule-based calculation to machine learning-based prediction based on data availability. The machine learning model processes state vectors representing driver behavior patterns, transforming the prediction mechanism from static rules to adaptive learned parameters, thereby improving accuracy without sacrificing operability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If individual historical path data is used to calculate probabilities, then prediction accuracy improves for routine journeys, but the system fails for non-routine trips where no historical data exists

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepath prediction accuracyVSAvoidcapability to handle non-routine trips
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The machine learning model is trained on aggregated historical data from multiple drivers to learn universal driving patterns and behaviors. This universal knowledge enables the model to make accurate predictions for non-routine trips by applying general driving behavior patterns, thus resolving the contradiction between accuracy for routine trips and adaptability for non-routine trips.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The machine learning model acts as an intermediary between raw historical data and path probability predictions. It processes state vectors that capture driver behavior patterns and transforms them into probability distributions for candidate paths, enabling accurate predictions even when specific individual historical data for a particular trip is unavailable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If machine learning models are trained on extensive historical data to improve accuracy, then prediction precision increases, but computational complexity and data storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepath prediction accuracyVSAvoidcomputational and storage requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential features from historical trip data to create state vectors that represent driver behavior patterns. By focusing on key behavioral features rather than storing and processing all raw historical data, the system achieves high prediction accuracy while reducing computational complexity and storage requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The machine learning model focuses on learning local driving behavior patterns at decision points rather than attempting to model all possible driving scenarios globally. This localized approach to learning driver habits at critical decision moments improves prediction accuracy while keeping the model computationally efficient and manageable in size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4479706B1Determining a probability of a vehicle traversing a path
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 TOMTOM NAVIGATION BV
  • EP4479706B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4479706B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B
  • EP4479706B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The application describes the generation of a model (102) that provides estimates of probabilities for next path segments at decision points (402) (e.g. at junctions) based on (personal) historic traces. The model (102) uses two (or more) road segments (401) that the vehicle has travelled on as inputs to produce the estimates of the probabilities for the next path segments (403,404) for the vehicle.