Traffic Flow Model to Provide Traffic Flow Information

Abstract

Examples of maintaining or querying a traffic database to generate a traffic flow model to provide traffic flow information and determine a per-lane route for a vehicle to travel are disclosed.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A system to provide a per-lane route for a vehicle to travel, the system comprising:
 control logic;   a memory coupled to the control logic and operable to store instructions executable by the control logic; and   an input/output (I/O) interface operatively coupled to the memory and to the control logic,   wherein the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 respond to a query via the I/O interface, wherein the query includes:
 a start location and an end location for the vehicle to travel between; and 
 an indication of at least one of: a number of occupants of the vehicle and a vehicle type of the vehicle; and 
 
 generate a traffic flow model based on the query and based on traffic lane characteristics for one or more road segments, wherein the road segments include one or more locations, wherein the traffic lane characteristics for the one or more road segments include: 
 substantially fixed information that includes an indication of at least one of: a number of traffic lanes for a given direction of vehicular movement, or traffic lane restriction information for one or more traffic lanes; and 
 traffic characteristic information that changes over time, 
   wherein the traffic flow model provides traffic flow information between the start location and the end location,   wherein the traffic flow information enables determination of the per-lane route for the vehicle to travel, and   wherein the per-lane route is visually or audibly output at the vehicle as at least one of audio or graphics, and   wherein the outputted per-lane route enables a driver of the vehicle to change from one of the one or more traffic lanes to another of the one or more traffic lanes as the vehicle enters or exits at least one of the one or more locations included within the one or more road segments.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to send the traffic flow information to the vehicle to enable a navigation system of the vehicle to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information and to visually or audibly output the per-lane route at the vehicle. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to send the traffic flow information to a navigation service physically remote from the control logic to enable the navigation service to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information, and wherein the navigation service provides the per-lane route to the vehicle to be visually or audibly output at the vehicle. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to send, via the I/O interface, the traffic flow information to a navigation service physically remote from the control logic, wherein the navigation service sends the traffic flow information to a navigation system of the vehicle to enable the navigation system to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information and to visually or audibly output the per-lane route at the vehicle. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the traffic characteristic information that changes over time includes at least one of: road sensor data, traffic camera data, an accident report, a construction report, or traffic flow data reported from another vehicle. 
     
     
         26 . A system to provide a per-lane route for a vehicle to travel, the system comprising:
 control logic;   a memory coupled to the control logic and operable to store content or instructions executable by the control logic; and   an input/output (I/O) interface operatively coupled to the memory and to the control logic,   wherein the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 provide a query a traffic database for a route for the vehicle between a start location and an end location of the route, wherein:
 the query includes a number of occupants of the vehicle and a vehicle type of the vehicle, 
 the traffic database includes traffic lane characteristics for the route between the start location and the end location, and 
 traffic flow information, responsive to the query to the traffic database, is provided from a traffic flow model that is based on the traffic lane characteristics; and 
 
 obtain, based on the traffic flow information, the per-lane route for the vehicle to travel, and 
   wherein the I/O interface is operable to visually or audibly output the per-lane route for the vehicle to travel.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein to obtain the per-lane route, the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 obtain, from a traffic database server that provides the traffic database, the traffic flow information, wherein the traffic database server generates the traffic flow model that provides the traffic flow information; and   generate the per-lane route based on the traffic flow information obtained from the traffic database server.   
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein to obtain the per-lane route, the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 obtain, from the traffic database, the traffic lane characteristics;   generate the traffic flow model from the traffic lane characteristics; and   generate the per-lane route based on the traffic flow information obtained from the traffic flow model.   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein to obtain the per-lane route, the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 obtain, from a navigation service physically remote from the control logic and in communication with the traffic database, the traffic flow information; and   generate the per-lane route based on the traffic flow information obtained from the navigation service.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein to obtain the per-lane route, the control logic is operable to execute the instructions to:
 obtain, from a navigation service physically remote from the control logic and in communication with a traffic database server that provides the traffic database, the per-lane route, wherein the navigation service determines the per-lane route from the traffic flow information, and wherein the traffic flow model that provides the traffic flow information to the navigation service is generated by the traffic database server or by the navigation service.   
     
     
         31 . A method to provide a per-lane route for a vehicle to travel, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a traffic database, a query from the vehicle to travel between a start location and an end location of a route, wherein:
 the query includes a number of occupants of the vehicle and a vehicle type of the vehicle, and 
 the traffic database includes traffic lane characteristics for the route between the start location and the end location; and 
   generating a traffic flow model based on the query and based on traffic lane characteristics for one or more road segments, wherein the road segments include one or more locations,   wherein the traffic flow model provides traffic flow information for the route between the start location and the end location,   wherein the traffic flow information enables a determination of the per-lane route for the vehicle to travel, and   wherein the per-lane route is visually or audibly output at the vehicle to enable a driver of the vehicle to change from one of one or more traffic lanes to another of the one or more traffic lanes as the vehicle enters or exits at least one of the one or more locations included within the one or more road segments.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising sending the traffic flow information to the vehicle to enable a navigation system of the vehicle to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information and to visually or audibly output the per-lane route at the vehicle. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising sending the traffic flow information to a navigation service physically remote from the traffic database to enable the navigation service to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information, and wherein the navigation service provides the per-lane route to the vehicle to enable the per-lane route to be visually or audibly output at the vehicle. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising sending the traffic flow information to a navigation service physically remote from the traffic database, wherein the navigation service sends the traffic flow information to a navigation system of the vehicle to enable the navigation system to determine the per-lane route from the traffic flow information and to visually or audibly output the per-lane route at the vehicle. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein generating the traffic flow model based on the traffic lane characteristics includes generating the traffic flow model based on traffic characteristic information that changes over time and based on substantially fixed information that includes an indication of at least one of: a number of traffic lanes for a given direction of vehicular movement, or traffic lane restriction information for one or more traffic lanes. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein generating the traffic flow model based on traffic characteristic information that changes over time includes generating the traffic flow model from at least one of road sensor data, traffic camera data, an accident report, a construction report, or traffic flow data reported from another vehicle. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the number of occupants corresponds to a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane restriction of the traffic lane characteristics.