Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INTEGRATIVE SYSTEM AND METHODS TO APPLY PREDICTIVE DYNAMIC CITY-
TRAFFIC LOAD BALANCING AND PERDICTIVE PARKING CONTROL THAT MAY
FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO COOPERATIVE SAFE DRIVING
TECHNICAL FIELD
Car navigation driven predictive traffic load balancing control on urban road
networks applying cooperative
distributed model predictive control and robust cooperative safe driving
supported by robust privacy
preserving privileged GNSS tolling concept and by managing assignment of
parking places to controlled
trips.
BACKGROUND
Current trend towards smart traffic for smart cities considers solutions
mainly based on very slow
evolving Intelligent Transportations Systems (ITS) which has roots in the
early nineties, and which
proposes costly solutions for city wide coverage while lacking the most
critical part which is an ability to
apply efficient distribution of the traffic on complex urban networks.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have
not necessarily been
drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be
exaggerated relative to other
elements for clarity of presentation. Furthermore, reference numerals may be
repeated among the figures
to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. The figures are listed below.
Figures 1 a up to le schematically illustrate examples of possible
implementation alternatives for
system configurations and functionalities according to some demonstrative
embodiments.
Fig.la schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments.
Fig. lb schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments, wherein Fig. lb differs from Fig.la,
for example, at least by
enabling vehicles to communicate directly with the path planning layer.
Fig. 1 c schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments.
Fig.ld schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments, wherein Fig.ld differs from Fig.lc, for
example, at least by
enabling vehicles to communicate separately with the usage condition layer,
using a dedicated transmitter
for such purpose, for example, a toll charging unit radio transmitter.
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Fig. 1 e schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments, wherein fig. 1 e differs from fig. ld
and/or fig. 1 c, for example, at
least by ignoring the communication apparatus.
Fig. if expands according to some embodiments the system described by fig. le
with driving
navigation aid which is served by a predictive traffic load balancing control
system.
Fig.lg schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments, wherein fig. 1 g differs from fig.lf,
for example, at least by
enabling direct updates of time related positions associated with path
controlled trips to be transmitted from
vehicles to one or more layers and which said updates serve according to some
embodiments the need for
such data to be used by the traffic prediction layer and by the paths planning
layer for their ongoing
operation.
Fig. lh schematically illustrates top level system data flow to apply
predictive traffic load balancing
control according to some embodiments, wherein fig. lh differs from fig. 1g,
for example, at least by
enabling to feed traffic predictions from a path control system to a traffic
light control optimization system
enabling to improve according to some embodiments traffic lights control in
forward time intervals covered
by the predicted flows.
Fig.li 1 schematically illustrates vehicular apparatus and methods to apply
according to some
embodiments interaction of a vehicle with a predictive traffic load balancing
control system.
Fig. 1i2 illustrates schematically a toll charging unit and its interaction
with in-vehicle Driving
Navigation Aids (DNA) and a predictive traffic load balancing control system.
Fig. 1i3, illustrates schematically expanded configuration of vehicular
apparatus described with
fig. 1i2, enabling to support privileges to cooperative safe driving.
Fig.li3a illustrates schematically the sensing, communication and fusion
functionalities involved
with cooperative mapping of relative distances between a vehicle and other
vehicles.
Fig.lj 1 up to fig. 1j3 illustrate schematically embodiments for the
coordination of path controlled
trips preferably applied with a basic paths planning layer.
Fig.lj 4 and Fig. 1j5 illustrate schematically basic traffic prediction layer
with respect to different
embodiments in which some of them apply mapping of demand of trips as
described in fig.1j4.
Fig.2 is a schematic illustration of a product of manufacture, in accordance
with some
demonstrative embodiments.
Fig.3a schematically illustrates integration of a partially certified
commercial driving navigation
system with a path control system, enabling authentication of a request for
path controlled trip may be
authenticated to prevent hostile attack of anonymous requests.
Fig.3b schematically illustrates integration of a certified commercial driving
navigation system
with a path control system, enabling authentication of a request for path
controlled trip may be authenticated
to prevent hostile attack of anonymous requests.
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Fig.3b schematically illustrates integration of a certified and partially
certified commercial driving
navigation systems with a path control system, enabling authentication of a
request for path controlled trip
may be authenticated to prevent hostile attack of anonymous requests.
Fig.3i1 corresponds to Fig. li 1 wherein the toll charging unit is expanded to
enable control on a
.. certified driving navigation aid by a driving navigation system service or
by a path control system.
Fig.3i2 corresponds to Fig. 1i2 wherein the toll charging unit is expanded to
enable control on a
certified driving navigation aid by a driving navigation system service or by
a path control system.
Fig.3i3 corresponds to Fig. 1i3 wherein the toll charging unit is expanded to
enable control on a
certified driving navigation aid by a driving navigation system service or by
a path control system.
Figure 4i1 illustrates schematically an in-vehicle unit comprising toll and
optionally fine charging
and credit management software functionalities with a DNA software
functionality on an OEM Smartphone
platform wherein an in-vehicle infotainment system provides the user-interface
functionality.
Fig 4i2 illustrates schematically an in-vehicle unit wherein a personal
Smartphone provides the
user interface functionality substituting the in-vehicle infotainment system
associated with fig.4i1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth
in order to provide a
thorough understanding of some embodiments. However, it will be understood by
persons of ordinary skill
in the art that some embodiments may be practiced without these specific
details. In other instances, well-
known methods, procedures, components, units and/or circuits have not been
described in detail so as not
to obscure the discussion.
Discussions herein utilizing terms such as, for example, "processing",
"computing", "calculating",
"determining", "establishing", "analyzing", "checking", or the like, may refer
to operation(s) and/or
process(es) of a computer, a computing platform, a computing system, or other
electronic computing
device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical (e.g.,
electronic) quantities within the
computer's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as
physical quantities within the
computer's registers and/or memories or other information storage medium that
may store instructions to
perform operations and/or processes.
The terms "plurality" and "a plurality", as used herein, include, for example,
"multiple" or "two or
more". For example, "a plurality of items" includes two or more items.
References to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "demonstrative embodiment",
"various
embodiments" etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) so described may include a
particular feature, structure,
or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the
particular feature, structure, or
characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase "in one embodiment" does
not necessarily refer to the
same embodiment, although it may.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinal adjectives
"first", "second", "third"
etc., to describe a common object, merely indicate that different instances of
like objects are being referred
to, and are not intended to imply that the objects so described must be in a
given sequence, either temporally,
spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.
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The term "communicating" as used herein with respect to a communication signal
includes
transmitting the communication signal and/or receiving the communication
signal. For example, a
communication unit, which is capable of communicating a communication signal,
may include a transmitter
to transmit the communication signal to at least one other communication unit,
and/or a communication
receiver to receive the communication signal from at least one other
communication unit. The verb
communicating may be used to refer to the action of transmitting or the action
of receiving. In one example,
the phrase "communicating a signal" may refer to the action of transmitting
the signal by a first device, and
may not necessarily include the action of receiving the signal by a second
device. In another example, the
phrase "communicating a signal" may refer to the action of receiving the
signal by a first device, and may
not necessarily include the action of transmitting the signal by a second
device. The communication signal
may be transmitted and/or received, for example, in the form of Radio
Frequency (RF) communication
signals, and/or any other type of signal.
As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include, an
Application Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an integrated circuit, an electronic circuit, a
processor (shared, dedicated, or
group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group), that execute one or more
software or firmware
programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware
components that provide the
described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented
in, or functions associated
with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware
modules. In some
embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in
hardware.
The term "logic" may refer, for example, to computing logic embedded in
circuitry of a computing
apparatus and/or computing logic stored in a memory of a computing apparatus.
For example, the logic
may be accessible by a processor of the computing apparatus to execute the
computing logic to perform
computing functions and/or operations. In one example, logic may be embedded
in various types of memory
and/or firmware, e.g., silicon blocks of various chips and/or processors.
Logic may be included in, and/or
implemented as part of, various circuitry, e.g. radio circuitry, receiver
circuitry, control circuitry,
transmitter circuitry, transceiver circuitry, processor circuitry, and/or the
like. In one example, logic may
be embedded in volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory, including random
access memory, read only
memory, programmable memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, persistent memory,
and the like. Logic
may be executed by one or more processors using memory, e.g., registers,
stuck, buffers, and/or the like,
coupled to the one or more processors, e.g., as necessary to execute the
logic.
Some demonstrative embodiments are described herein with respect to a method.
However, some
embodiments may be implemented for example, by an apparatus, a device and/or a
system including means
for triggering, causing, controlling, and/or performing one or more, e.g.,
some or all, of the operations of
the method. In one example, an apparatus, a device and/or a system may include
one or more components,
modules and/or units, for example, including circuitry and/or logic,
configured to trigger, cause, control,
and/or perform one or more, e.g., some or all, of the operations of the
method.
Some demonstrative embodiments described herein may be implemented by
apparatuses, systems
and/or methods applying an innovative non-discriminating and anonymous car
related navigation driven
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traffic model predictive control, producing predictive load-balancing on road
networks which dynamically
assigns efficient sets of routes to car related navigation aids and/or which
navigation aids may refer to in
dash navigation or to smart phone navigation application.
Some demonstrative embodiments described herein may be implemented to enable,
for example,
to improve or to substitute commercial navigation service solutions, applying
under such upgrade or
substitution a new highly efficient proactive traffic control for city size or
metropolitan size traffic.
Some demonstrative embodiments described herein may refers to innovative
solutions provided to
issues such as, for example, but not limited to, encouragement of usage of
controlled trips on road networks
by robust privacy preserving free of charge or privileged GNSS tolling which
hides trip details from a toll
charging center (privacy preservation at a level which disables any potential
big brother syndrome) and
which further enables to optimize network load balancing by demand control,
robust real time calibration
of DTA for city wide controllable traffic-predictions associated with
predictive load balancing control,
regional evacuation/dilution of traffic under emergency situations, support to
cooperative multi-destination
trips, static and dynamic differentiation between part of networks which may
and which may not be used
to balance city wide traffic, enabling tolerated advertisement provision to
encourage public-private
collaboration under control on negative effects of advertisement provision on
predictive traffic load
balancing, disabling hostile attacks under anonymously operated controlled
trips, disabling direct and
indirect association of anonymously controlled trips with identities of
vehicles.
Some demonstrative embodiments described herein may be implemented, for
example, to
contribute to robust and less costly cooperative safe driving on road
networks, which are expected to be a
major issue with autonomous vehicles, as well as contributing to preparation
of conditions to prevent, in
due course, from non-coordinated mass usage of navigation dependent autonomous
vehicles to become
counterproductive to both the overall traffic and the users of autonomous
vehicles.
Traffic in cities and in metropolitan areas became a major increasing issue
worldwide wherein
flexibility to improve road networks was converted from a cost issue to a
progressively infeasible option in
dense regions.
Common alternatives consider public transportation improvement with
expectation that some part
of the public will give-up on highly available private transportation which
provides the most convenient
point to point trips, as a reaction to high traffic loads on road networks. A
less common alternative is to
apply non popular demand dilution by road tolling.
Relatively newer and yet not accepted alternatives consider more advanced
control solutions for
higher utilization and generation of freedom degrees on networks. Such
alternatives are considered to be
applied by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) concepts which recently
focus on Cooperative ITS (C-
ITS). Such related concepts enter into the new category of smart traffic for
smart cities.
Traditionally ITS solutions are promoted by the public sector which promotes
standardization for
DSRC based ITS. Such approach has its roots in the early nineties, and since
has shown very poor results
and in general ITS became a quite disappointing costly option to improve
traffic under a concept which its
main focus was to resolve communication issues by DSRC and which the first and
the second generation
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of cellular networks were not expected to cope with. In the mid of the first
decade of the current millennium
the technology of cellular networks became advanced enough and later on cheap
enough for making DSRC
based solution redundant. As a result, commercial personal navigation
solutions have managed to achieve
the basic objective which was expected from early ITS solutions without a need
to spend expensive public
resources.
The major leap towards the ability to materialize widely accepted commercial
solutions was a result
of the relatively new availability of low cost mobile internet through
cellular networks and smart-phones,
less than a decade ago, and recent ability to provide free of charge
navigation to the public based on incomes
from advertisement.
However such commercial solutions are not expected to provide an answer to the
main goal which
is high utilization of available road networks for which efficient and robust
predictive control on the
distribution of vehicles on city wide networks is required. In this respect
the issue is a predictive control
issue which raises further technological and operation issues which inter-alia
refer to: a) lack of a concept
to motivate high committed usage of controlled car navigation in the traffic
to generate prime conditions
for effective control, which current commercial solutions can't justify
economically and which the private
sector has no further real reason to materialize without committed
participation of the public sector, and b)
lack of a concept and methods to apply robust dynamic coordination of trips
which enable fair and
predictive assignment of sets of routes, and which issue is relevant in case
that a solution would be found
to "a)".
Lack to cope with the above mentioned issues, whether it is a private or
public oriented solution,
makes real progress towards materialization of smart traffic for smart cities
to be non realistic, In this
respect it should be clarified that no real intermediate option exists to
apply reliably efficient solution while
a major part of the traffic is modeled by stochastic and relatively simplified
sub-models, and which issue
is not a matter of further research as it is elaborated with some embodiments.
Potential benefits from a system that may cope with the above mentioned issues
although expected
to be high, are not unambiguous and depend on concrete interrelation between
time and zones dependent
demand of trips and the network supply potential, wherein the way to determine
potential benefits is by
computer simulation for a concrete city.
Under predictive coordination of trips on a city wide network, it may be
expected that the potential
to obtain very high benefits is clear even for highly congested networks in
which at least between the
morning and the evening rush hours there are high freedom degrees on the
network that coordination of
trips may highly utilize and produce in this respect high benefits. Such
benefits may include but not be
limited to a) value of travel time savings determined according to
transportation economics criteria for
investments of the public sector in transportation related projects, b)
reduction in polluting emissions and
c) reduction in risk associated with exposure to potential incidents.
Indication about the potential benefits may be obtained by computer
simulations applying a simple
control model which includes traffic predictions by Dynamic Traffic Assignment
(DTA) according to
current and predicted non-coordinated controlled routes, and non-controlled
model based routes, wherein
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non-coordinated controlled routes are limited to few up to ten percent in
order not to make interrelated
interference of non-coordinated trips to be dominant, and wherein independent
simultaneous planning of
routes are applied frequently according to feedback from the DTA simulator
which is fed by prior planned
controlled routes and non controlled model based routes. Although this is not
an applicable solution as
further elaborated, it may provide preliminary indication about concrete
potential benefits. An example of
non generically acceptable simulation result, performed by said simple control
model for western Tokyo
traffic in the nineties, has shown a potential improved benefit over a model
using current traffic for planning
of routes which with respect to time saving is equivalent to removal of more
than one trip from the network,
in average, by each controlled trip at ten percent of controlled trips. This
may be equivalent to dilution of
the traffic by more than ten percent.
Some idea about the reason for the non-applicability of said simple control
model may be provided
by mentioning two feasibility issues: a) lack of an ability to apply robust
traffic predictions by a stochastic
and simplified route-choice model associated with a DTA, and b) lack of
ability to apply acceptable
calibration of a stochastic, non-linear and time varying DTA for a city wide
network - by joint/dual
estimation of high dimension demand and parameters of DTA models - while most
or even major part of
the traffic is modeled.
The implementation related issues mentioned above and the expected high
potential benefits from
an implementation, raise an issue of a need for a new concept enabling
preferably either to improve or to
substitute commercial navigation solutions to apply a new highly efficient
predictive (proactive) traffic
control for city size or metropolitan size traffic which may include aspects
that are considered by C-ITS.
In this respect, some major issues should be resolved first in order to enable
applying efficient and
acceptable solution which should overcome inter-alia: lack of efficient non-
discriminating concept and
technology to coordinate mass usage of controlled trips on a city wide
network, lack of a low cost and
efficient concept to encourage mass usage of controlled trips on networks,
lack of robust real time
calibration of DTA to support city wide controlled traffic predictions
including adaptation to traffic
irregularities, lack of robust control and regional evacuation of traffic
under emergency situations, lack of
complementary solution to multi-destination cooperative trips, lack of
complementary solution enabling
static and dynamic differentiation between part of networks which may and
which may not be used to
balance city wide traffic, lack of robust and efficient incident control, lack
of robust privacy preservation
disabling even a potential big brother syndrome to be considered as an option,
lack of complementary
optimal dynamic control on demand, lack of means to prepare conditions, in due
course, to prevent from
non-coordinated mass usage of navigation dependent autonomous vehicles to
become counterproductive to
both the overall traffic and the users of autonomous vehicles, lack of a
concept to shorten the time towards
robust and relatively low cost implementation of cooperative safe driving,
lack of incentives of commercial
driving services to collaborate with authorities, lack of a method to prevent
hostile attack on anonymous
operation of controlled trips by robust authentication, lack of methods to
prevent indirect decipher of
identities of vehicles under anonymous provision of paths to controlled trips,
lack of efficient incentives to
apply most efficient predictive control to coordinate controlled trips, lack
of efficient predictive mapping
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and assignment of available parking places to path controlled trips, lack of
appealing incentives enabling
to improve DTA traffic predictions by trustable and massively used requests
for prescheduled path
controlled trips.
Some embodiments, e.g., as described below, may be configured to provide
feasible solution to
one or more or to all elements of above mentioned issues and/or to provide
additional features and/or
benefits and//or alternatives and/or improvements to respective systems and
methods which exist or will be
existing in the future.
The embodiments describe methods, apparatus and/or systems that may enable
high utilization of
road networks (hereinafter the term network refers to a road network if not
mentioned otherwise), using
control on paths of trips with the aim to resolve above mentioned issues and
some other issues mentioned
further along with the described embodiments. Hereinafter, and above, the term
path refers to a route on a
road network and both terms, path and route, may be used interchangeably and
may include lanes on roads
as well.
According to some embodiments of the invention, control on paths may be
applied as an
independent service or as an upgrade to available centralized navigation
system service that calculates
routes for driving navigation aids according to requests fed to driving
navigation aids and transmits routes
assigned to driving navigation aids. Hereinafter, and above, a driving
navigation aid may refer to a means
of navigation for driving, enabling to guide either a driver or a means of
navigation for driving enabling to
guide an autonomous vehicle, according to a route on a road network, wherein,
a driving navigation aid
may refer to the term DNA as an abbreviation. A DNA may be a satellite based
driving navigation aid used
to guide drivers, in which the position of the vehicle along a trip is
determined indirectly for, or directly by,
received signals from a GNSS, and/or according to sensor(s) associated with an
autonomous vehicle
enabling vehicle localization on a high resolution map.
In case of driving navigation aids which are not supported by centralized
route calculation, there
would be preferably a need to upgrade such driving navigation aids to transmit
guidance request to a
centralized system and to receive guiding routes in order to apply said
control on paths of trips. A
centralized approach may be needed in order to enable a highly demanding
control to coordinate
substantially paths on the network by a plurality of refining phases (which
may refer to control cycles),
whereas remote calculation of paths by driving navigation aids (non
centralized calculations), may limit
the control refining phases. With such approach a long time phase may reduce
the efficiency of the control
on trip paths and may even make the control non efficient.
The methods, apparatus and/or systems that enable to apply said control
approach on paths for trips
should preferably use model predictive control targeting mainly urban areas in
which there are multiple
alternatives to distribute flows on a road network according to traffic
demand. The potential improvement
in flow that can be achieved from such an approach depends not just on the
efficiency of the method
applying the control on trip paths but also depends on the size and the
topology of the networks in relation
with zone to zone trip demand, which determine the degrees of freedom on the
network.
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Apparatus and method to apply control, which efficiently may coordinate paths
on the network,
should preferably use predictive control requiring simulation runs applying
traffic models in order to enable
controllable traffic predictions. In this respect, a prediction based on
traffic simulation include in addition
to traffic models related effects also effects of controlled set of planned
paths, performed in a prior control
cycle (which may refer hereinafter also to a control phase) or a sub-cycle
(which may refer hereinafter also
to a sub-phase), provides feedback to refine a set of planned paths by a
subsequent control cycle or a sub-
cycle.
Refinements might be crucial with non-linear system in which planning of paths
by a control cycle
or sub-cycle can't fully anticipate the real time traffic development by
synthesized traffic for a network
even though a controlled prediction is used. Although this is a simplified
description to explain the need
for model predictive control for controlling trip paths, it yet highlights the
issue.
With such approach, simulated traffic flow predictions based on realistic
models, including but not
limited to statistical, physical, behavioral models, as well as traditional
control such as traffic lights control
plans, are used as a platform for controllable traffic predictions to support
a predictive control which should
dynamically coordinates routes associated with trips. The result of the
coordination tends to balance the
traffic load on the network., and which coordination is preferably applied
through DNAs used either by
drivers or by autonomous vehicles.
In this respect, the method, the functionality of apparatus and/or system that
apply predictive
control on paths of controlled trips according to traffic model based
simulated predictions in a finite time
horizon, preferably the control applies coordinate paths to path-controlled
trips, may be divided into system
layers which are elaborated with further description of embodiments of the
present invention. A system that
applies such control may refer hereinafter to a path control system applying
predictive path control to
controlled trips.
The term path control refers to predictive path control in terms of model
predictive control which
is applied by a path control system, and which system is preferably aimed at
coordinating path controlled
trips on the network in order to generate and maintain traffic load balancing
on a network under objective
constraints (e.g., road network, traffic conditions, behavior of drivers and
traffic lights/signals) and
subjective constraints (e.g., fairness in assignment of routes to trips). The
term preferably was used with
respect to coordination of path controlled trips, by path control, due to a
need to distinguish between
conditions on the network which require special coordination processes, in
addition to feedback about
anticipated effects of paths on the network, and conditions for which special
coordination might be
redundant.
Conditions that need coordination may be characterized by a possibility that
non-coordinated paths
of trips may cause, at an extreme case, local traffic congestion and, at a non-
extreme case, interferences
which slowdown traffic flows.
Under such conditions the need for coordination should be considered on the
scale between must
to have, in order to prevent traffic congestions at extreme conditions, and
nice to have in order to improve
traffic flow on the network at non extreme conditions. Example for an extreme
case is high percentage of
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path controlled trips usage on the network. An example for a non-extreme case
is low percentage of path
controlled trips usage on the network wherein such percentage may still be a
cause for local slowdowns in
the traffic flow, if coordination is not applied with path controlled trips.
However, there are conditions in which coordination might be redundant while
significant traffic
exists on the road, for example, when the percentage of path controlled trips
is so small, and sparsely
distributed on the network, that lack of coordination is not expected to be a
substantial cause for reduction
in the level of the traffic flow on the network. In such conditions, path
control may also refer to non
coordinated planning of paths for path controlled trips, while still using
controlled predictions as feedback
for further non coordinated planning of path controlled trips. In this
respect, the path control enables to
correct paths of path-controlled trips according to feedback from a controlled
prediction that includes the
effect of non coordinated planned paths performed with a prior path control
cycle.
Therefore, the term path control may refer to coordinating or to non-
coordinating path control
while, by default, coordinating path control should preferably be applied to
produce path controlled trips
that tend to be converged to coordinated paths by coordinating path control,
wherein under non-feasible
full control it may at best produce substantially coordinated trips.
Dynamic assignment of paths for a path-controlled trip, under coordinating
path control, reflect
from a point of view of a vehicle the effect of ongoing control which tends to
coordinate controlled trips
on the network according to current traffic and controlled traffic
predictions.
As further described with methods used to apply path control, robustness of
feedback from
controlled prediction performed by traffic models - which increases with the
increase of the percentage of
path controlled trips usage in the traffic - leads to preferably apply
coordinating path control under
incentives provided for usage of path-controlled trips by drivers and/or
autonomously driven vehicles. As
a result, higher benefit from improved traffic, due to a more controllable and
more robust control, is
obtained.
Coordination of path controlled trips may be considered to some extent as
cooperative coordination
and further in this respect coordination of path controlled trips may refer
also to cooperative path control
or to coordinating path control. The term ¨ cooperative ¨ may refer in this
respect to participation of
vehicles in an operation applying path control and which cooperation means
obedience of drivers or
autonomous vehicles to path controlled trips applied through driving
navigation aids. In case of autonomous
vehicles ¨ cooperative path control ¨ may apply more robust cooperative path
controlled trips as further
described.
In this respect, the term robust cooperative path controlled trips may be
expanded to include inter-
alia activation of cooperative safe driving by, for example, acceptably safe
autonomous vehicles.
According to some embodiments, a cooperative operation may in general refer to
an operation
enabling high utilization of the network capacity and/or safe driving on a
network, and which cooperative
operation is preferably supported by providing incentives to encourage
participation in the cooperative
operation. Incentives may preferably be applied at the lowest expense under
regulation in order to
encourage efficient and safe driving while preserving the possibility of non-
cooperative driving to still be
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allowable. With such approach, the efficiency level and the safety level may
be achieved by a potential
implementation which is open to market competition. For example, this may be
enabled under regulation
of regional road tolling, applying free of charge toll or toll discount as a
privilege by authorities to
encourage a cooperative operation such as coordinating path control service,
while the open market
competition can be applied through a non government operator as a coordinating
path control service on
behalf of an authority.
The operator can be a commercial entity, which is expected to provide the most
effective solution,
applying an operation based, for example, on economically justified benefits
from a path control system
that can be recognized by authorities. For example, a recognized and
measurable benefit is "value of travel
time" which can be proved by computer simulation to be saved on the network by
the service, and which
can be evaluated for example according to the difference between simulation of
aggregated trip times on
the network before and after activation of path control.
A service provided by a commercial entity may be obtained with time limited
exclusive rights in
order to leave further competition open to new technological developments.
According to some embodiments, a path control system may be applied for
example by the
following described breakdown of a path control system into system layers.
A system layer which may generate conditions to apply highly efficient path
control is the usage
condition layer, which prepares conditions for high usage of driving
navigation aids (means) on a network,
and which may enable high utilization of freedom degrees on the network by
applying predictive control
for coordination of paths associated with trips.
Such usage condition layer, according to some embodiments, applies incentives
to usage of
coordinating navigation aids providing path controlled trips, under
coordinating path control, to drivers
and/or to navigation dependent autonomously driven vehicles.
With such a layer, conditions are prepared for robust traffic model based
predictions, and further
for highly efficient coordinating path control, applying model predictive
control that uses traffic model
based controllable predictions. In this respect, high usage of navigation aids
(means) on the network,
supported by path control applying predictive coordination of path controlled
trips, may enable
substantially full control or at least control on a major part of trips on a
network. Predictive coordination in
this respect may refer to coordinating path control based on model predictive
control.
The effect of high usage conditions, generated by the usage condition layer,
has a major positive
effect on all layers that may preferably support highly efficient and robust
path controlled trips as
highlighted hereinafter.
Another system layer, which is the traffic mapping layer, is the first layer
which utilizes the benefit
of high usage of path controlled trips generated by the usage condition layer,
enabling the traffic mapping
layer to receive position related data generated, preferably anonymously, by
high usage of navigation aids.
With such data, high quality traffic information (e.g., flow related) at high
coverage can be
constructed by the traffic mapping layer according to dynamic positions of
vehicles.
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Further utilization ability may refer to construction of highly accurate
information about demand
of trips according to destinations that are originally fed to driving
navigation aids in order to get route (path)
for guidance along a trip.
With such information, constructed by the traffic mapping layer, a traffic
prediction layer may
according to some embodiments calibrate at a robust level models used by a
dynamic-traffic simulation
platform to apply further high quality controllable traffic predictions by the
traffic prediction system layer
supporting a paths planning system layer which produces by default sets of
paths that tend to be converged
to coordinated paths under coordinating path control supported by high usage
of path controlled trips
generated for example by the usage condition layer.
Introductory description of functionality of proposed layers, which may
construct a path control
system, without elaborating at this preliminary description methods, system,
apparatus and detailed aspects
associated with each of the layers, is provided with the following sections.
Clarification: Elaboration of processes, which may serve each of the proposed
layers, are described
further with embodiments of the present invention and are left free to be
considered for association with
such layers or be in interaction with such layers according to concrete design
of a system.
Usage condition layer may refer to a system, methods and apparatus which
enable to encourage
usage of path controlled trips, and possibly usage of vehicle related
functionalities which enable safe
driving, or increase the level of safe driving, as well as the use of
autonomous vehicles using path controlled
trips at a stage in which preferably classification level 4 or possibly level
5, determined by the Society of
Automotive Engineers, is acceptably safe. Encouraging usage of safe autonomous
vehicles which are using
path-controlled trips may have a benefit that is beyond encouraging safe
driving by safe autonomous
vehicles that use driving navigation aids which can be supported by path
control trips.
In this respect, encouraging usage of such autonomous vehicles may have the
benefit of reducing
the level of non predictive (stochastic) behavior of the traffic on the
network and to reduce further the
stochastic level of traffic predictions, according to some embodiments, by
using traffic predictions based
on a traffic simulation in which not just the route choice model of drivers is
substituted by path controlled
trips, but also driving behavior model(s) of drivers are substituted by
predictive driving behavior models
of autonomous vehicles including predictive driving interaction models of
autonomous vehicles with static
and dynamic objects. Further benefits to encourage usage of acceptably safe
autonomous vehicles are
described with further description of the invention in different places.
According to some embodiments, the usage condition layer applies said
encouragement by
providing incentives with a road toll charging approach, enabling to provide
either free of charge toll or toll
discount to vehicles to encourage efficient use of a road network and/or more
safe driving. With such
approach a toll charging center applying tolling and privileged tolling)
interacts with:
a) in-vehicles toll charging units (a unit associated with a vehicle) to
handle transactions related to
privileges provided as incentives, and
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b) a car plate identification system for inspection, using for example
Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR), while enabling discrimination between vehicles which are
entitled and vehicles
which are not entitled to privileges.
According to some embodiments, encouraging usage of path controlled trips
and/or safe driving by
in-vehicle functionalities and/or acceptably safe autonomous vehicles is
preferably applied by robust
privacy preservation of trip details while providing free of charge road toll
or toll discount using apparatus
and methods described further in more details with described embodiment of the
invention.
Privacy preserving toll, under provision of privileges, may reduce in general
a major obstacle which
may be involved with applying road toll, especially with implementation of
GNSS based road tolling
concept which tracks positions of vehicles in order to manage entitlement for
privileges.
In this respect, applying robust privacy preservation may facilitate
acceptance of a concept
applying free of charge road toll, and in more advanced stages possibly toll
discount, as privilege to
encourage usage of path-controlled trips.
According to some demonstrative embodiments, robust privacy preservation
refers to in-vehicle
apparatus and processes to calculate the amount of toll to be charged
according to in-vehicle tracked trip,
and according to in-vehicle privileges management to certify entitlement for
privilege by communicating
with a toll charging center, which communication enables to hide details of
tracked trips from a toll charging
center.
Toll charging center may refer to usage condition layer and both terms, toll
charging center and
usage condition layer, may be used hereinafter and above interchangeably
According to such embodiments, a certified vehicular toll charging apparatus
and processes hide
trip details from a toll charging center by sending to a toll charging center
data of calculated toll charge
amounts with respect to in-vehicle set privilege criteria (free of charge toll
or toll discount) without
exposing trip details.
Hiding trip details from a toll charging center, rather than applying secured
transmission of trip
details to a toll charging center, and further investing in prevention of
access to such centralized stored data
(which is susceptible to suspicious by those who are charged), may reduce
negativism to apply tolling
which is based on in-vehicle tracking. This is especially valuable when
tolling is applied with the aim to
encourage efficient usage of the network and possibly safe driving.
In this respect robust privacy preservation eliminates, or at least minimizes,
possible negativism to
said conditional tolling, since with robust privacy preservation the non-
exposure of trip details can be
guaranteed or at least an exposure can be under control of the owner of the
vehicle.
Conditional tolling under said privilege criteria and hidden trip details from
a toll charging center,
although may resolve or at least reduce toll issues, it may in case of
provision of privileges to usage of path
controlled trips raise an issue of a need to obey by a driver to path
controlled trips. Such an issue may be
reduced to a minor level if the public will be aware of the compensation
provided by path controlled trips
to drivers and of alternatives.
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The compensation for using path controlled trips may include high travel time
savings, gained by
the contribution of path controlled trips to traffic dilution, as well as
contribution to an ability to avoid, or
at least to postpone the need for applying traffic dilution by dilution of
demand for trips using road tolling.
In a postponed case, that is, when applying toll in conditions where path
controlled trips are already
applied and there is a need for further traffic dilution, then lower toll
prices should be expected to gain the
same traffic flow improvement on the network in comparison to a case where the
toll is mainly responsible
for the traffic dilution. This potential benefit is an additional result from
high usage of path controlled trips.
As mentioned before, said tolling privileges, enabled by the usage condition
layer, may include
privileges provided to usage of elements which contribute to safe driving. In
this respect, the objective to
apply high usage of autonomous vehicles in order to improve safe driving
within cities, may need inter-alia
to reduce reaction of autonomous vehicles to human driving behaviors and in
the future to eliminate such
a need. Reduction or elimination of a need to react to different human
behaviors by autonomous vehicles
may enable more anticipated and therefore more controllable interaction among
vehicles. By encouraging
usage of automated driving, enabled by autonomous vehicles, while using said
privileges to encourage
automated driving, may contribute to more effective cooperative and as a
result more safe driving on road
networks. In this respect, encouraging automated vehicle driving may
facilitate the development of high
usage of autonomous vehicles with respect to classification levels 4 and 5,
determined by the Society of
Automotive Engineers, to which usage condition layer may highly contribute by
non full compulsory
approach.
Further to the above mentioned contribution of an active usage condition
layer, crowd sourcing
may be generated by such an approach, enabling to contribute to additional
safe driving aspects which may
refer to robustness of real time mapping of dynamic environment surrounding
vehicles. In this respect
crowd sourcing may enable autonomous vehicles to contribute to rapid mapping
of changes in deployment
of fixed object, such as a signpost and parking vehicles, as well as to rapid
mapping of dynamic object such
as vehicles and passengers.
In this respect, mapping of a signpost, for example by the support of a
central mapping system,
may take benefit of crowd sourcing due to an ability to use multiple
measurements, generated by multiple
vehicles, and to fuse such measurements preferably according to relative
weights corresponding to
ambiguities in the measurements performed by different sensors of different
vehicles using for example
weighted least squares.
Crowd sourcing may also be used by encouraging usage of autonomous vehicles
for more robust
mapping of relative locations of vehicles surrounding the location of an
autonomous vehicle, which
mapping might be most valuable with autonomous driving of vehicles with
respect to dynamic changes in
the vicinity of a vehicle. In this respect, under conditions in which vehicle
to vehicle data communication
is applied, each vehicle may use its sensor related measurements to estimate
relative distance of surrounding
vehicles in addition to complementary measurements generated by neighbor
vehicles, and accordingly to
improve its measurements. The approach to improve accuracy may use fusion of
multiple source
measurements by a single vehicle to determine dynamically relative distance
and locations according to
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relative weights corresponding to ambiguities in the measurements performed by
different sources using
for example weighted least squares.
Furthermore, a usage condition layer applied with tolling privilege criteria
to encourage
cooperative safe driving as described above, may also enable to contribute to
lower classification levels
than said level 4 or 5, by providing privileges to usage of Advanced Driver
Assistance Systems (ADAS).
Under usage of path-controlled trips expanded with usage of ADAS, efficient
and more safe driving may
be generated at the same time on the network..
According to some embodiments, conditional tolling functionalities may be
applied by a dedicated
vehicular toll charging unit, a toll charging center and respective fixed car
plate identification infrastructure
using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANRP), or alternatively for example,
by upgrading apparatus
and respective processes of an on-board unit of a GNSS tolling system (known
also as GNSS toll pricing),
as well as respective processes of a GNSS tolling center to apply said robust
privacy preservation
communication between the vehicular device and the tolling center. With
respect to robustness, the upgrade
may enable to manage road toll privileges that hide trip details from a toll-
charging center.
GNSS tolling which may refer in general to in-vehicle tracking for road
tolling is not conceptually
limited to vehicle positioning by GNSS. in case of autonomous vehicles,
positioning may possibly use in-
vehicle sensor(s) based localization on maps, or use vehicle positioning by in-
vehicle GNSS receiver which
may be used to complement localization by initial coarse GNSS positioning of
an autonomous vehicle.
Traffic mapping layer, may refer to a system, apparatus and methods which map
dynamic traffic
information, generated by remote data sources in order to support higher level
layers of a path control
system. The higher level layers of the path control system, which are
supported by said dynamic
information, are the traffic prediction layer applying traffic predictions and
the paths planning layer
applying calculation and assignment of path controlled trips.
According to different embodiments the reception of data and the mapping of
said dynamic
information on a stored road map may fully be applied by a traffic mapping
center, or be shared by the
traffic mapping layer with relevant supported system layers and/or a system
which is an external system to
the path control system.
Under active usage condition layer, a major part of the dynamic information
mapping needs
relatively marginal effort to be constructed in order to serve said high level
layers, which may reduce the
functionality of the traffic mapping layer to a basic level.
The dynamic information to be received and mapped in this respect may include
under active usage
condition layer:
1. Dynamic positions transmitted by vehicles using path controlled
trips, which under high usage of path
controlled trips positions associated with path controlled trips construct the
most complete traffic
information, enabling to apply further robust traffic predictions by the
traffic prediction layer and to
calculate accordingly paths for path controlled trips by the paths planning
layer. The higher the share
of known positions of vehicles on the network, the lower is the processing
effort required to estimate
unknown positions and the higher is the ability to guarantee more robust path
planning according to
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more robust traffic mapping and traffic predictions. Dynamic traffic
information related data, received
by tracking positions of vehicles using path controlled trips and mapping such
data by repositioning
such vehicles on a road network map (to be used by a traffic simulator for
traffic predictions), may
serve both traffic prediction and paths planning layers. In case that the
traffic information is constructed
by the absolute majority of the vehicles in the traffic or even by most of the
vehicles in the traffic on a
mapped road network, under an active path usage layer, then a complex non
sufficiently reliable
construction of positioning of vehicles on a road network map, which is
required in order to adjust a
traffic simulation platform according to current traffic when there is lack of
positioning related data,
may be saved. Receiving position related data from vehicles should preferably
be performed
anonymously, wherein the term anonymously may refer to an ability to receive
messages from vehicles
using path controlled trips which avoid their identification, while enabling
each of such vehicles to use
a unique non identifying characteristic during a trip in order to further
enable control on trips according
to such non identifying characteristic.
2. Dynamic positions of vehicles using known non-flexible routes,
transmitted by in-vehicle apparatus or
from a center which tracks such vehicles (e.g., bus having predetermined route
usually with a plurality
of bus stops). Such positions which are associated with a predetermined path
on a road network (with
bus stops if vehicles are busses), may preferably be received and mapped for
redistributing their
positions on a road network map to be used to simulate traffic predictions by
the traffic prediction layer.
Under high usage of path controlled trips, preferably generated by active
usage layer, such non flexible
route related positions may enable to complement flexible route related
positions to adjust the
conditions of a traffic simulation platform to apply further robust traffic
predictions. Receiving data
related to vehicles using non flexible routes may be performed anonymously,
preferably within the
communication apparatus between a path control system and vehicles and/or
between path control
system and said centers tracking such vehicles,. With respect to vehicles
having non-flexible routes,
distinguishable scheduled activation of a trip may be used for example as a
non identifying
characteristic.
3. Dynamic destination related to position pairs, transmitted by vehicles
at first with requests for guidance
(route) according to path controlled trips and further with updates of their
positions with respect to
destinations, to be used with the paths planning layer in order to apply
calculation of paths that produce
accordingly and according to controllable traffic predictions preferably
coordinated sets of paths for
vehicles using path controlled trips. Origin to destination pairs of path
controlled trips may be stored
and used in conjunction with historical position to destination pairs to map
and predict zone to zone
trip demands in order to apply traffic predictions by a traffic simulation
platform used by the traffic
prediction layer. Dynamic zone-to-zone demand prediction is preferably
performed in conjunction with
historical position to destination pairs of requests for trip, preferably path
controlled trips, to apply
accordingly more accurate traffic predictions according to, for example,
classes of vehicles (e.g.,
passenger cars, trucks, etc.). Demand, which refers to position to destination
pairs, is initiated typically
by feeding through a driving navigation aid a destination while the respective
position is generated by
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an in-vehicle positioning aid such as a GPS receiver which might be part of
the driving navigation aid.
In case that prescheduled trips are also applied with a path control system,
then prescheduled position
to destination pairs of a trip may be associated with prediction of zone-to-
zone demand. According to
some embodiments, demand related mapping may be applied by the traffic
prediction layer.
4. Dynamic events which may affect the development of demand of trips, which
should preferably be
used to improve a zone to zone demand prediction model for further traffic
predictions performed by
traffic simulation used with the traffic prediction layer. Such events (e.g.,
destination time and place of
a football game) may be transmitted to a path control system, for example by a
server of an entity or
an authority that are handling updates of such events, using server-to-server
communication.
5. Dynamic structure changes in a road network, transmitted for example using
server to server
communication in which the server which transmits updates is a server of an
entity or an authority
handling dynamic mapping of road networks. Such updates should preferably
update changes including
capacities of links on the road network used by the traffic prediction layer
and by the paths planning
layer.
6. Dynamic changes in capacities on network roads, for example, road
maintenance, obstacles such as
interfering parking, etc., transmitted for example using server to server
communication in which the
server which transmits updates is a server of an entity or an authority
handling such dynamic data. Such
updates should update the capacities of links on the road network map used by
the traffic prediction
layer and by the paths planning layer. Changes in capacities may further or
alternatively be discovered
by mapping dynamic positions of tracked vehicles, using for example dynamic
positions to the path
control system, as mentioned in 1 and 2, discovering irregularities in traffic
flows by mapping
accordingly bottlenecks/obstacles on links of a road network. If there are not
sufficient vehicles to
discover directly the irregularities, then state estimation methods can be
used, subject to sufficient
knowledge about the input flow to a link, while capacity related corrections
are made in which case to
sections of lanes on links from which a link should preferably be constructed
if applying such approach.
7. Dynamic changes in traffic control, for example, traffic light plans, sign
posts, and variable signals.
Such updates are transmitted to a path control system for example by a server
of an entity or an authority
handling such dynamic information and should preferably be used with the
traffic prediction simulation
platform associated with the traffic prediction layer.
Dynamic current traffic flows and queues might be valuable to be mapped, for
example according to tracked
positions mentioned in 1 and 2 above, in case there would be a need to
complement missing data to adjust
initial conditions for simulated traffic predictions, for example missing data
of demand of trips which can
be discovered by a state estimation method using traffic flows and queues.
Discovering demand data
through traffic related data is a an approach which may preferably be
considered under low usage of driving
navigation aids by drivers, and which is expected under such conditions to be
supported by external sensor
infrastructure to map traffic flows in order to apply a state estimation
process.
In general the problem may relate to a high dimension joint or dual state and
parameters estimation
by and for non linear time varying and stochastic traffic models. However,
under non perfect but sufficiently
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effective usage condition layer, in which there is rich but not complete
information about trips on the
network, there is a possibility to estimate missing data with lower
complexity. This may be effected by the
sufficiently known data, which known data may relate to demand of trips and to
model parameters of a
traffic simulation platform, as well as to traffic data constructed according
to current traffic flows mapped
by tracked positions mentioned in 1 and 2 above, in order to adjust
(calibrate) the traffic simulator for traffic
predictions.
In this respect, the traffic mapping layer may apply the traffic flow mapping
while the state and
parameters estimation which uses and prepares traffic simulation for traffic
prediction is suggested to be
performed by the traffic prediction layer.
Under such estimation, constraints of known mapped demand, mentioned in 3
above, and traffic
flow mapped according to 1 and 2 above, as well as according to known/planned
paths of trips on the
network and other mapped/known data mentioned up to 7 above, may be used to
enable to discover more
robustly missing demand data and parameters of traffic models used with
traffic simulation.
With respect to traffic mapping layer, data from fixed deployed sensors or any
other external system
can also be received from external system servers. Such data may refer but not
limited to traffic flow related
data generated by road or roadside sensors and/or position related data and/or
demand related data, and/or
velocities related data, and/or queues related data, and /or traffic related
events.
According to some embodiments, updates about road maps and/or signposts and/or
positions of
vehicles and/or traffic related information, may be received from an external
system such as a system which
generates high resolution road maps for, and possibly by, autonomous vehicles
and/or a system which tracks
position of vehicles and/or a driving navigation system service (for example a
commercial navigation
service such as provided by a company such as Waze), and which driving
navigation system and
autonomous vehicles are preferably served directly or indirectly by a path
control system.
Communication of path control system layers in general, and the traffic
mapping layer specifically,
with vehicles and external servers may use according to some embodiments
Internet apparatus and with
respect to vehicles Internet supported by mobile communication.
Tracked positions associated with path controlled trips may either be received
by a path control
system with respect to the traffic mapping layer through a push process
activated by vehicles, or if there is
expectations for data communication overloads then a pull process can be
activated, for example, by the
path control system according to IP addresses which were activated by vehicles
and identified by the
relevant process in the path control system.
Initial position to destination pairs associated with request for a path
controlled trips, as well as
tracked positions during a trip, may be transmitted by vehicles or by a
navigation service system using a
push process to a path control system.
Information received from an external system should preferably use server to
server
communication and may preferably use a push process.
Traffic prediction layer may refer to a system, apparatus and methods which
include two stages,
a prime stage aimed at preparing (calibrating) a traffic simulation platform
for prediction according to
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current traffic and preferably demand of trips related data, and a subsequent
traffic prediction stage, based
on the prime stage, in which prediction of demand of trips (usually
statistical prediction) provides the
predicted entry events into the network according to which the simulated
traffic models of the simulation
platform predicts traffic development on the network. In this respect past
trip related demand is used to
predict zone-to-zone demand of trips by, for example, time series analysis
related methods and more
advanced methods such as further described.
Beside the theoretical potential of traffic simulation platform which uses
traffic models to enable higher
quality of traffic prediction in comparison to statistical based methods,
there is a further need to which
traffic simulation may contribute which refers to a need for controllable
predictions enabling to apply model
predictive control with path controlled trips. In this respect, model
predictive control enables to apply a
control process which evaluates according to simulation of traffic prediction
the effect of planned paths on
a road network along a finite time horizon, in a rolling time horizon, and
accordingly (according to
feedback) make corrections to the planned paths preferably before applying
assignment of paths to vehicles.
Controllable predictions in this respect synthesize traffic development
according to control inputs
which in this respect are planned (calculated) paths to be evaluated for path
controlled trips performed
according to some embodiments by a paths planning layer as further described.
A simulation platform may preferably use Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA)
simulation platform,
which models traffic by synthesizing acceptable real behavior of the traffic.
Typical DTA simulators are
used in the field of transportation mainly for transportation planning, and
are the closest means to enable
to apply predictive control for path-controlled trips. However, current DTA
simulators are yet limited to
cope primarily with typical traffic simulation and not with concrete real time
traffic, despite of using on-
line calibration to adjust the simulator to simulate the closest traffic to
real time traffic according to real
time traffic data. This limitation is a result of simplified models used with
such simulators, satisfying to
cope with typical stochastic behaviors of traffic for transportation planning,
and therefore limits the ability
to calibrate at low time resolution the traffic models for real time according
to traffic information (which
limited quality of traffic information makes the issue worse). In this
respect, the issue increases with the
increase in the size of the road network and with the increase in the dynamics
of traffic on the network.
In order to overcome such real time related deficiencies there would be a need
to encourage usage of
path-controlled trips, for example, by the usage condition layer, which
enables to reduce or even to
eliminate the high dependency on stochastic behavior models associated with a
DTA simulator. A further
need in this respect would be to upgrade DTA simulators to be applied with
predictive control to include,
for example, cooperative safety behavior of autonomous vehicles, reaction to
variable traffic signals,
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) infrastructure, Cooperative ITS (C-
ITS) infrastructure, etc.
Typical DTA simulators are comprised of several models, which are grouped into
two categories,
namely a Demand Model and a Supply Model, wherein different DTA simulators
have different accuracy
levels, and which said models may include but not limited to functionalities
with respect to:
= A Demand Model which divides the network into zones among which trip
pairs are assigned,
expanded by a prediction model for zone to zone demand of trip pairs, and
which Demand Model
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is applied with respect to non controlled trips on the network, for which
there is no direct way to
know their positions and destinations, and is applied for different classes of
vehicles. A demand
prediction model, which expands a basic Demand Model enables in real time to
predict the demand
according to past demand data and possibly also according to historical data,
may apply statistical
prediction models and possibly pattern recognition methods. A more advanced
Demand Model
may include demand control models such as can be applied by road toll and
early/late trip departure
recommendations for trips and which such models may be associated with a
demand prediction
model.
= A Supply Model which models network traffic flow development and which
may include sub-
models for, but not limited to, road network characteristics at a level of
link lanes, intersections,
etc., predetermined routes (e.g,. buses) and route choice model for the non
controlled paths (non
path controlled vehicles possibly according to classes of vehicles), traffic
control means and their
plans (such as traffic lights and variable signals), and, with high resolution
DTA also intra link
related traffic model (e.g., lane change behavior, car following behavior)
A more advanced DTA Supply Model, which may expand a typical Supply Model used
with road
and transportation planning to support real time traffic predictions, should
preferably include,
according to available infrastructure, vehicle to vehicle communication
effects considered to be
applied with autonomous vehicles and/or with Cooperative Intelligent
Transportation Systems
effects on current and developing traffic. Despite of the potential benefits
from a high resolution
DTA, such DTA advanced simulators might not be sufficiently exploited at real
time if massive
positioning of vehicles at high resolution may not be applied (may not enable
to simulate traffic at
high resolution based on on-line calibration of a traffic simulation platform
according to traffic
data). In this respect, high usage of path controlled trips, which can
feasibly be applied under active
usage condition layer, applied for example with autonomous vehicles using
sensor based high
resolution localization on road maps and preferably path controlled trips,
preferably applying
predictive driving behavior model(s) with a DTA simulator such as driving
behavior model(s) of
autonomous vehicles, may enable to utilize at the highest level high
resolution Supply Models at
substantially real time - producing more accurate traffic simulation of
current traffic at substantially
real time and more accurate traffic predictions.
The most robust DTA based traffic predictions may be applied under conditions
in which most of the
traffic is generated by autonomous vehicles using with the Supply Model of a
DTA predictive behavior
driving model(s) of autonomous vehicles including vehicle to vehicle
communication effects if applied,
that is, to simulate predictive motion of vehicles and predictive interactions
among/between vehicles by the
DTA Supply Model according to driving behavior model(s) applied by autonomous
vehicles.
Under active usage condition layer, which encourages usage of autonomous
vehicles, applying such
approach may accelerate the ability to apply further robust DTA based traffic
perdition by a model
predictive control approach enabling to produce robust path controlled trips.
Robust path controlled trips
preferably refer to path controlled trips under a control of a path control
system which apply predictive path
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control to coordinate path controlled trips. The introduced term predictive
path control is actually
coordinating path control (mentioned above and hereinafter), and both terms,
predictive path control and
coordinating path control, may be used interchangeably whether autonomous
vehicles or other vehicles are
referred to these terms.
Since a traffic prediction requires simulation at a rate which is higher than
real time, there is a benefit
to use parallel computation with a DTA Supply Model to simulate motion of
autonomous vehicles on a
road network by, for example, by network decomposition as well as applying
parallel computation by
agents to simulate motion and interaction of autonomous vehicles with static
and dynamic objects according
to models, wherein each agent may simulate one or more vehicles according to
available computation power
for acceptable traffic prediction performance.
Adjusting a DTA simulation platform according to real time traffic data by
said prime stage (on-line
DTA calibration stage), without tracking positions of the vast majority or
even most of the vehicles, is a
complicated task for a city size road network. The issue becomes worse under
conditions in which very
limited data about traffic and demand is available and which issue further
increases with the increase in the
size of the city. Such conditions are expected to be typical, while usage
condition layer is not applied,
without an ability to map traffic at high resolution by relatively low cost
floating car data.
In this respect, as further elaborated, the issue of joint/dual estimation of
demand and model
parameters by the prime stage (on line DTA calibration at substantially real
time) is difficult. This is due to
a high dimension problem which non linear stochastic and time varying DTA
Supply Model makes a robust
prime stage solution, or even close to robust solution, infeasible for city
size road networks even though
very high performance computing (super computer) considered with current
technologies is used.
However, under applied usage condition layer while path control is applied,
high usage of path
controlled trips is expected to be generated on a road network enabling to
provide high quality traffic related
data source from vehicles for dynamic mapping of traffic flow and trip demand
(tracked positions with
respect to their destinations) as well as making the stochastic route choice a
negligible issue. Under such
conditions, adjusting the traffic simulation platform by a said prime stage to
simulate substantial real time
traffic according to substantial real time demand is an issue that can be
resolved by sufficient available
communication and acceptable computation resources.
According to some embodiments, traffic and demand related data are mapped by
the traffic
mapping layer, as described above, and traffic prediction layer servers
receive such data from the traffic
mapping layer servers, either by server to server communication or through a
common storage handled
possibly by a common database server.
According to some other embodiments, the traffic prediction layer applies the
demand related data
mapping (position to destination pairs and respective zone to zone demand
assignment) which may include
receiving demand related data, originated by vehicles using path controlled
trips, directly through
communication means or indirectly through the traffic mapping layer which
interacts with the vehicles.
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In case of high usage of path controlled trips, generated for example by the
usage condition layer,
conditions to generate more authentic (rather than estimated) current demand
is enabled, using in vehicle
data related to path controlled trips.
Demand along a past period of time, enabling to predict zone to zone demand,
may be mapped
according to positions and destination pairs originated with requests for path
controlled trips and
complemented by estimation of non controlled trips demand, while estimation of
non controlled trips
demand by the prime stage, under active usage condition layer and path
control, becomes at worst case
marginal and at the best case redundant and, in any case, robustness of the
demand can be achieved at a
level which is incomparably higher than the estimation level which might be
achieved under non
encouraged usage of path control trips generated for example by a usage
condition layer.
Under encouraged path control trips usage, positions of vehicles using path
controlled trips on the
network may also be gathered and the rich gathered data drastically simplify
the prime stage (on-line
calibration of the simulation platform by said calibration and estimation
stage). This is a result of an ability
to substantially map dynamic distribution of real time positions associated
with known planned paths of
the vehicles on a DTA simulator network. As mentioned with the traffic mapping
layer, with such approach
there would still be a need either to calibrate or to update the flow
conditions on the network for obstacles
with which there is no communication (interfering parking of non connected
cars or other obstacles on
roads) which may discovered indirectly by state estimation methods, or to
directly detect reaction of
vehicles to obstacles on roads (bypassing obstacles) preferably according to
consistent reaction (e.g., non
usage of a lane at a certain part of a link by a plurality of vehicles).
Preferably the position as well as respective destination related data are
gathered by method(s)
enabling anonymous transmission of data from vehicles to a path control system
in order to maintain
privacy of the source of data in conjunction with anonymous assignment of path
controlled trips to vehicles.
Another advantage of high usage of path controlled trips, with respect to DTA
based traffic
predictions, is the ability to use high quality DTAs which under joint/dual
demand and parameters
estimation might not be feasible to be used in substantially real time. In
this respect, low usage of path
controlled trips compels a need to apply calibration and estimation by the
prime stage using dual or joint
state estimation which is a highly consuming task with respect to computation
power for high dimension
demand and non linear supply model even for a case of a non high resolution
DTA and which issue increases
with the stochastic route choice model of a DTA and size of the road network.
Based on adjusted traffic and demand models, effected at the prime stage,
traffic prediction is
performed by the DTA demand and supply models according to predictions made
first to the demand model.
Prediction to the demand can use for example time series analysis. To overcome
non linear effects in the
demand, for example, entries to a network effected by varying traffic
conditions, the time series analysis
may be supported, for example, by historical patterns to substantially
linearize time series processed data
and performing time series analysis on the differences between similar
historical and current patterns.
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Interaction of the traffic prediction layer server(s) with the traffic mapping
layer server(s) and with
the paths planning layer servers may be applied by server to server
communication or through a common
storage (database server(s) of for example client/server N-tier architecture).
According to some embodiments, such approach may enable the traffic layer, to
interact with
external server(s) in substantially real time in order to receive traffic
control related updates to be applied
with a DTA supply model, for example, traffic lights control plan and changes
in the deployment of traffic
lights, signposts, and variable signals/signposts, and which such server may,
for example, be updated by,
or on behalf of, authorities.
According to some embodiments, an update about exceptional event (e.g., a
football game), which
may be added to traffic control related updates, may enable further to improve
demand predictions, for
example with the support of similar event related historical flow pattern(s),
and be handled through a server
through which the traffic prediction layer may receive such data.
Paths planning layer may refer to a system, apparatus and methods which apply
planning of paths
to produce path controlled trips.
As mentioned above, path control may refer to coordinating and non
coordinating path control,
wherein the coordination approach is a-priori the preferred approach to be
applied if it may contribute to
non negligible improvement in the traffic on a road network.
Predictive path control which applies non coordinating path control is mainly
applicable to very
small percentage of non coordinating path controlled trips that may have
acceptably small enough mutual
potential interference. The planning of paths for non coordinating path
control trips is performed according
feedbacks from controlled traffic predictions which indicate on the potential
effects of planned paths and
accordingly planned paths may be corrected with the aim to improve travel
times. In this respect a controlled
traffic prediction, according to a simplified description, applies for a time
horizon in a rolling horizon by
dynamic traffic simulator that is fed by planned paths for current and
predicted path controlled trips and by
current and predicted paths associated with route choice model for non
controlled traffic. The planning of
paths is a simple reaction to time dependent travel time costs according to
simulated feedback, performing
shortest path calculations according to the travel time costs.
As said before, implementation of non coordinating path controlled trips may
mainly be considered
as a theoretical solution for small percentage on the network, while in
reality a further major difficulty to
implement robust on line calibration and traffic predictions, for a large
networks, disables such approach
to provide robust solution even for small percentage of path controlled trips.
Predictive path control which applies coordinating path control is aimed at
putting no limit on the
percentage of usage of path controlled trips on the network while enabling to
implement a robust solution
for very high percentage of path controlled trips on the network. With such
approach additional aspect of
planning coordinating paths for path controlled trips is applied. In this
respectõ the paths planning layer
interacts with the traffic prediction layer, constructing coordinating control
cycles (phases) and possibly
sub-phases (iterations) as further described in more detail with some
embodiments. Each cycle (phase) or
sub-phase includes traffic prediction, performed by the traffic prediction
layer, and calculation of a set of
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paths by the paths planning layer, wherein traffic prediction performed by the
traffic prediction layer uses
a prior set of paths calculated by a prior control cycle, or sub-phase
(iteration), as an input to the supply
model of a DTA simulation platform which performs the current traffic
prediction.
According to some embodiments, predictions in this respect enable to evaluate
the effect of the
recently calculated set of current and predicted paths for path controlled
trips on the network and which
such effect provides feedback to a subsequent cycle or a sub-phase
(iterations) of a cycle enabling a further
cycle or a further sub-phase (iteration) of a cycle to further improve the
traffic flow.
According to some embodiments, sub-phases (iterations) of control cycles may
be distinguished
from control cycles by being less sensitive to re-calibration of a DTA and
demand estimation stage in the
traffic prediction layer in order to perform a new set of paths, and therefore
re-calibration might not
necessarily be a need with each sub-phase or even with all sub-phases within a
cycle (phase). The objective
of a control cycle or sub-phase is to refine prior set of calculated paths
under the assumption that
recalibration during a control cycle may have lower benefit in comparison to
the benefit to perform higher
number of refinements to the set of paths.
Refinements are expected to be required with a non linear system in which the
effect of calculation
of a set of paths by a control cycle can't fully be anticipated due to path
calculations which will be effected
by a non linear system prediction. Therefore, according to some embodiments
there would be a need to
evaluate calculated effect according to a controlled prediction and
accordingly consider using further an
iterative process to refine the set of the paths, by control sub-phases, which
may enable to improve volume
to capacity ratios for traffic load balancing on the network.
Coordinating paths associated with trips on the network may enable to exploit
the potential of
freedom degrees on the network to improve traffic flow through path-controlled
trips provided to driving
navigation aids (associated with guidance means) to guide drivers or
autonomous vehicles during trips
towards their destinations. Such a path planning layer may prevent or at least
reduce potential interferences
in the traffic which may be a result of uncontrolled or poorly controlled
attempts of guidance of vehicles
to take benefit of traffic predictions without coordination among trips, and
which such functionality is
mandatory with an implementation of a high usage of navigation aids generated
for example by a usage
condition layer. In this respect, high usage of path controlled trips under
coordinating path control may not
just be able to prevent loss of control on the traffic but also be able to
exploit the capacity of a network to
best serve given demand for the highest traffic flow enabled on the network.
Nevertheless, even with low
non-marginal usage of path control trips the contribution of coordination is
not negligible, and should be
considered as well with such a case under the limit of an ability to take
benefit from control under stochastic
and non sufficiently robust predictions due to limited usage of path
controlled trips.
The benefit from high usage of path controlled trips under coordinating path
control is expected
to be high, since the traffic becomes highly controllable and the simulated
predictions can potentially be
robust due to high potential knowledge about the initial conditions to run
traffic predictions by a DTA
simulation platform and high potential knowledge about the route choice on the
network performed by path
controlled trips and about positions of tracked vehicles using path controlled
trips.
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With such traffic coordination approach, there is a need to consider beyond a
need to apply
anonymously path controlled trips, the need that a set of controlled paths
will be calculated on a fair basis,
that is, to take into consideration that paths which may sacrifice time of a
trip or part of a trip, for the benefit
of improving average trip times on the network, otherwise potential usage of
path controlled trips may be
discouraged. Therefore, convergence towards coordination of paths should be
sensitive to fairness
constraint and be handled anonymously in order to be widely acceptable. That
is, coordination of paths
should preferably consider that from a point of view of drivers (and/or
passengers) the interest should be a-
priori not sacrificing their own interest for the interest of others in order
to improve the performance of path
control on the network.
To summarize the above, the paths planning layer is the top layer of a path
control system which
preferably calculates coordinated sets of paths aimed at progressively being
adapted dynamically to
maintain substantial fair coordination of paths under non linear time varying
conditions, with the objective
to maximize traffic flow by assigning preferably coordinated sets of paths to
path controlled trips.
According to some embodiments, the layers of a path control system are applied
as applications on
application servers of for example a modified client/server N-tier
architecture to support real time related
requirements associated with traffic control or another architecture according
to convenience.
Common communication apparatus and methods may serve direct interaction of
layers with
external servers and/or vehicles. For example, the usage condition layer may
interact with vehicles and with
car identification system (using for example Automatic Number Plate
Recognition - ANRP) through web
servers.
According to some embodiments, under real time constraints, layers of a path
control system which
may be applied, for example, as applications in a model such as an improved
client/server N-tier
architecture to support real time requirements or another architecture, are
not restricted to use traditional
protocols of such architecture. In this respect, an improved client/server N-
tier architecture should
preferably be improved by efficient methods to handle under real time
communication constraints, more
efficient protocols such as, for example, WebSocket or http/2 supported by
WebSocket or at least by SSE,
or UDP preferably supported by WebSocket or at least by SSE, or according to
tight real time constraints
using other methods enabling to make real time constrained communication
efficient. Security aspects may
further include known methods which for example upgrade of http/2 by TLS.
Communication mediums between vehicles and the traffic mapping layer may
include but not be
limited to, for example, cellular mobile communication networks and/or
Dedicated Short Range
Communication (known as DSRC in the field of Intelligent Transportation
Systems - ITS), and Internet
related infrastructure.
According to some embodiments, the communication apparatus could serve any
single layer of a
path control system separately, that is, supporting either all the layers used
by a path control system or part
of them which are served by such apparatus.
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In this respect a paths planning layer for example may receive position to
destination pairs,
originated by drivers through a driving navigation aid, enabling accordingly
planning paths for path
controlled trips and further transmit such paths to respective vehicles which
are using path controlled trips.
Similarly, the usage condition layer may interact with vehicles enabling to
handle toll charging and toll
privileges.
With such or with another possible architecture, there is also a flexibility
to expand the interaction
of path control system layers with external systems and servers which may
provide supporting data to the
path control system.
According to some embodiments, an example that may present the described
approach, whether by
applying the above-described layers or just by applying said functionalities
associated with such layers
and/or with further described embodiments of the present invention, may
comprise:
1. A method and a system according to which conditions to improve traffic flow
on a road network
are encouraged by encouraging directly or indirectly usage of vehicles having
in-vehicle driving
navigation aids which interact with drivers, or with driving control means of
autonomous-vehicles,
to guide trips of vehicles according to path controlled trips. Such method and
system comprise:
a) receiving by an in-vehicle driving navigation aid data for dynamic path
assignments,
= wherein a said vehicle may include possibly an autonomous vehicle
classified as level
4 according to the Society of Automotive Engineers and/or,
= wherein a said vehicle may include possibly an autonomous vehicle
classified as level
5 according to the Society of Automotive Engineers and/or,
= wherein path controlled trips are possibly tending to be coordinated by
dynamic
assignment of paths performed by coordinating path control and/or,
= wherein traffic on the network possibly tends to converge to traffic load
balance and/or,
= wherein a DTA simulator is possibly used with traffic predictions
preferably for
coordinating path control and/or,
= wherein the DTA simulator includes models of motion of autonomous
vehicles on
roads and interactions of autonomous vehicles with other vehicles on roads
and/or,
= wherein gradual coordination is possibly applied by determining current
highest
priority links, which negatively contribute to traffic load balance, subject
to a given
computation power applying gradual coordination and/or,
= wherein dynamic assignments of paths are possibly used with processes of
coordination control iterations and/or,
= wherein coordination control phases possibly apply fairness related
processes
applying non travel time related discrimination among assigned path controlled
trips
and/or,
= wherein processes of coordination control iterations are possibly used in
addition to
coordination control cycles,
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b) tracking by in-vehicle apparatus the actual path of the trip,
c) comparing by in-vehicle apparatus the tracked path with the path complying
with the
dynamic path assignments along a trip,
d) determining by in-vehicle apparatus the privilege, entitling usage of the
assigned path,
according to predetermined criteria for the level of the match determined by
the
comparison,
e) transmitting by in-vehicle apparatus privilege related transaction data
which do not expose
trip details,
0 handling by a toll charging center privilege related transaction according
to
predetermined procedure
= wherein said privilege is possibly free of charge road toll and/or,
= wherein said privilege includes possibly discount in charged road toll.
= wherein an entitlement for privilege include a criterion according to
which travel on
certain predetermined links requires that a trip will be stopped for a minimum
predetermined time.
2. A method and system according to which improved safe driving on a road
network is encouraged
by encouraging usage of in-vehicle safety aids Such method and system
comprise:
a) tracking by in-vehicle apparatus the actual use of a said safety aid along
the trip,
= wherein safety aids are possibly cooperative safe driving aids enabling to
improve a single
in-vehicle measurement of a safety driving aid by in-vehicle fusion of the in-
vehicle
measurement with one or more respective external measurements performed by
other one
or more other vehicles and received by a vehicle fusion apparatus through
vehicle to
vehicle communication
b) determining by in-vehicle apparatus privilege related data for usage of
said safety aid
according to predetermined criteria entitling privilege for the level usage,
= wherein said privilege possibly applies free of charge road toll and/or
= wherein said privilege possibly include discount in charged road toll
and/or
= wherein privilege provision refers to usage of both safety driving aids
and path controlled
trips
c) transmitting by in-vehicle apparatus privilege related transaction data
which do not expose
trip details.
At this point, before further description provides more details about
embodiments of the present
invention, it would be recommended to review by the reader the described
drawings of the present
invention.
The figures, described hereinafter, refer to apparatus methods and
functionalities which cover some
aspects of described embodiments and which intend to provide a skeleton which
puts in context
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functionalities and interrelation among functionalities at a level which
facilitates the understanding of
textual description. Textual description may cover more functionalities and
more aspects of the invention
than the figures describe. In this respect the figures may not limit textual
described functionalities.
In order to provide a consistent skeleton which simplifies interrelated
connection among
functionalities described in different figures, same numbers were used for the
same items.
Figures 1 a up to le schematically illustrate examples of possible
implementation alternatives for
system configurations and functionalities according to alternative
embodiments. The figures provide a
simplified description, in comparison to textual description of embodiments,
with an objective that the
textual description of the figures may be complemented by respective
embodiments described in more
details in the present invention.
Path control system related figures are illustrated at a level that leaves
implementation-flexibility
to combine the functionalities comprising the system according to
implementation constraints. For
example, coordination control processes which may coordinate tasks of a path
control system are not part
of the illustrated figures. In this respect, path control processes may
coordinate tasks performed by different
system layers and within system layers. This may for example include but not
be limited to synchronization
processes which inter-alia: a) coordinate distributed computation performed by
path controlled trips
associated agents, b) coordinate paths for path controlled trips according to
traffic predictions with path
planning performed by agents, c) coordinate traffic mapping with on-line
calibration of a traffic simulation
platform, d) coordinate input and output processes required with a need to
enable control on path-controlled
trips.
Fig. 1 a schematically illustrates according to some embodiments a system and
apparatus to apply
path control system 232 which describes top level data flow among described
functionalities such as path
control layers and vehicular controlled platform 229. Rectangle 232a may refer
to for example centralized
implementation of path control system layers 211, 217, 221 and 224 using
common communication servers.
The usage condition layer 224 communicates with toll charging units of
vehicles comprising the
vehicular controlled platform 229 through 225 and 239b, and with car plate
identification system 226 (using
Automatic Number Plate Recognition - ANRP) through 225.
According to the described embodiment each vehicle has a common transmitter
for its DNA and
toll charging unit. For example vehicle 1 transmits accordingly data to the
path control system layers
through 230a1.
The traffic mapping layer 221 according to the described embodiments receives
and maps all the
dynamic data transmitted from driving navigation aids, and transmits the
mapped data to the traffic
prediction layer 217 and to the path planning layer 211.
The traffic prediction layer 217 feeds through 213 traffic prediction travel
time costs on the road
network links to the paths planning layer 211.
The paths planning layer calculates accordingly sets of coordinated paths
which are fed back to the
traffic prediction layer through 210a to apply further controlled traffic
predictions, and which set of
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coordinated paths are transmitted as well to vehicles through 210b to update
path controlled trips in driving
navigation aids.
Inputs of dynamic information related data from external systems may be fed to
the path control
system through logical links 216, 220 and 223, and which data may refer to
data from external systems and
servers described above, including but not limited to, for example; a) road
network map updates through
223, b) exceptional demand related events updates and traffic flow related
updates through 220, and c)
traffic control related updates through 216.
Fig. lb schematically illustrates according to some embodiments a system and
apparatus to apply path
control system 232 which describes top level data flow among described
functionalities such as path control
layers and vehicular controlled platform 229, wherein Fig. lb differs from
Fig. 1 a by enabling vehicles to
communicate directly with the path planning layer, for example, for requesting
path controlled trips, and
updating time related positions of path controlled trips.
Fig. 1 c schematically illustrates according to some embodiments a system and
apparatus to apply path
control system 232 which describes top level data flow among described
functionalities such as path control
layers and vehicular controlled platform 229, wherein Fig. 1 c differs from
Fig. lb by enabling vehicles to
communicate directly with the traffic prediction layer, for example, in order
to inform about time related
positions of path controlled trips by a respective update.
Fig. ld schematically illustrates according to some embodiments a system and
apparatus to apply path
control system 232 which describes top level data flow among described
functionalities such as path control
layers and vehicular controlled platform 229, wherein Fig.ld differs from Fig.
lc by enabling vehicles to
communicate separately with the usage condition layer, using a dedicated
transmitter for such purpose, for
example, a toll charging unit radio transmitter.
The advantage of such transmission is the ability to guarantee isolated and
ongoing communication,
even when a common radio communication in the vehicle is not active, to
respectively block faked
interventions and to enable ongoing monitoring of installed toll changing unit
in the vehicle. In this respect
vehicle 1 for example transmits through 239a1T data from the toll charging
unit to the usage condition
layer and through 239a1D data from the DNA to other layers of the path control
system.
Fig. le differs from fig.ld and fig. lc, by ignoring the communication
apparatus, enabling to concentrate
on data flows in order to facilitate the description of further expansions
using fig. le as a reference.
Fig.lf expands according to some embodiments the system described by fig. le
with driving navigation
aid which is served by a path control system. With such embodiments, requests
for path controlled trips are
handled by the driving navigation system which communicates on one hand with
driving navigation aids
through 235 and with the path planning layer through 234 for updating vehicles
with path controlled trips.
According to such embodiments further data which vehicles may originate to
support path control,
such as time related positions of path controlled trips, may be received by
the path control layers through
234, 236 and 237 through the driving navigation aid.
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According to such embodiments, direct communication of vehicles with the
traffic mapping layer, with
the traffic prediction layer and with the paths planning layer might become
redundant.
Fig. 1 g differs from fig. if by enabling direct updates of time related
positions associated with path
controlled trips to be transmitted from vehicles to one or more layers of 232
and which said updates serve
the need for such data to be used by the traffic prediction layer and by the
paths planning layer for their
ongoing operation, as described above.
According to such embodiments said updates enable further to confirm, for
example, by211 the usage
of path controlled trips according to path controlled trips planned by 211 and
transmitted to the DNA
through 233. Confirmation according to such embodiments may be obtained by
preventing vulnerability to
undiscovered intervention of a driving navigation system 233 in the path
control and/or in the updates. This
can be performed according to some embodiments with minimal involvement of 233
by performing the
updates by the toll charging unit which anyhow should receive the path
associated with the assigned path
controlled trip to the vehicle in which the toll charging unit is installed in
order to handle privileged tolling.
Associating a position related update with the path of the controlled trip,
enables to compare the transmitted
path with path controlled trip generated by 211 to validate matches and
validate for example by 211 usage
of path controlled trips according to assigned paths.
According to some embodiments, an alternative to said transmission and
comparison of paths is to
associate trip Identification (ID) number with each assigned path for path
controlled trip, for example by
211, and further transmit the path associated with the trip ID to 233 through
234 in order to assign the path
to a respective DNA through 235. The DNA uses the trip ID number with its
updated paths of path
controlled trips transmitted to the toll charging unit.
Anonymity of position related updates by a toll charging unit, associated
either with path controlled
trip or with trip ID, can be maintained by transmitting non vehicle
identification updates to the path control
system 232. With such approach there is an ability to confirm usage of path
controlled trips assigned by
211, as a byproduct of the updates to the layers of 232. A confirmation
process can be performed, for
example by an extension to 232, preferably to 211 in 232. To assure anonymous
transmission of said
updates, although updates include no details to identify vehicles, there is
still a need to assure that no claim
can be raised about privacy preservation due to usage of the toll charging
unit for tolling which requires
vehicle identification.
Privacy preservation is a sensitive issue with respect to a claim about an
ability by an entity or an
authority which has access to both vehicle identifying messages such as
tolling related messages and
anonymous type of messages such as position related updates which are
transmitted from a common unit
through for example mobile internet. In this respect, even though the
different types of messages are
transmitted to different layers, a common IP address may enable to associate
vehicle ID with an anonymous
transmission update. That is, association of vehicle ID with anonymous
messages may further enable to
associate details about path controlled trips with the respective vehicle ID.
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In order to avoid such claims while using the toll charging unit to transmit
both types of messages,
there would preferably be a need to use different IP addresses with vehicle
identifying messages and with
anonymous messages. The cheapest approach to apply different IP addresses is
by establishing different
Internet sessions for anonymous and for non anonymous messages, enabling for
example to allocate by a
service provider different IP addresses to different sessions. A less robust
approach to apply anonymous
updates to layers of 232 is by enabling the DNA to transmit directly said
anonymous updates associated
preferably with said trip IDs. With this approach, preferably under secured
communication, the toll
charging unit may not mandatorily be equipped with its own mobile internet
communication apparatus,
enabling tolling to be applied by a toll charging unit through other
communication means. Such means may
be used by a toll charging unit directly, for example, by using WiFi
communication or provide indirect
communication through a Smartphone or through a common in-vehicle mobile
communication means
which can use for example Bluetooth communication, preferably under secured
communication which may
prevent intervention of a third party in the communication of a toll charging
unit with the usage condition
layer.
A possibility to fake communication by a non authorized toll charging unit may
be avoided by two
means. The first possibility refers to the assumption that the chain from
production to installation of a
vehicular toll charging unit is applied under license and under supervision,
and therefore there is no reason
that claims about privacy preserving faking product would arise.
The second more stronger additional possibility refers to an ability to
validate authentic installation of
a toll charging unit to confirm authentic communication by authorized
installed toll charging unit. This may
be enabled when the toll charging unit transmits a non anonymous position
related message associated with
vehicle registration number to the usage condition layer, for example, during
a privileged tolling procedure.
In this respect, a received message by the usage condition layer from a toll
charging unit may initiate by
the usage condition layer a search process for a match between the transmitted
vehicle registration number
from a toll charging unit and stored data associated with the vehicle
registration number which was received
from the car plate identification system (using Automatic Number Plate
Recognition - ANRP) by the usage
condition layer. According to a match the usage condition layer may further
confirm through additional
data associated with toll charging messages, such as time related position
recorded by the toll charging unit
when the vehicle was in the vicinity of a camera (used with Automatic Number
Plate Recognition - ANRP)
of a car plate identification system, that a vehicle plate identification
received from the car plate
identification system by the usage condition layer substantially matches the
same time related position for
the same registration number.
Locations of cameras may for example be updated in the toll charging unit
through a process in which
the toll charging unit receives such updated location, for example, from the
usage condition layer.
According to some embodiments, a further approach enabling to validate
authentic installation of a toll
charging unit may use a communication signature recording process which the
toll charging unit and the
usage condition layer activate according to determined criteria as a result of
a communication session. Such
a recording process records characteristic(s) related to non anonymous
communication between the toll
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charging unit and the usage condition layer which may further be compared to
verify matches.
Characteristics may include, for example, time of a communication session,
type of communication session,
and other data related to the communication sessions. Access to stored
signatures of a toll charging unit,
preferably stored in a non volatile memory, may be part of a regulatory
process executed, for example, by
entities authorized to make annual regulatory test for vehicles which provides
a vehicle with regulatory
approval car certificate. Under such test the entity may read by authorized
equipment secured stored data
from the toll charging unit including but not limited to said signatures. The
signatures may further be
compared with respective signatures stored by the usage condition layer for
the same vehicle (e.g.,
according to the same registration number). Confirmation of a match according
to a comparison may
validate usage of authentic communication performed by toll charging unit
installed in the vehicle.
Such apparatus and methods to validate authentic installation of a toll
charging unit are not unique to
the system illustrated in fig. lg and may be applied with relevant illustrated
systems in other figures.
Fig. lh differs from fig. lg by enabling to feed traffic predictions from a
path control system to a traffic
light control optimization system 215 through 214 enabling to improve traffic
lights control in forward time
intervals covered by the predicted flows. This further enables to get feedback
from 215 through 216 for
adapted traffic light plans according to the traffic predictions from 217 and
improve accordingly the path
control.
Fig. li 1 schematically illustrates vehicular apparatus and methods to apply
according to some
embodiments interaction of a vehicle with a path control system. In this
respect separate transmitters for a
toll charging unit and for a DNA is suggested to be applied and which such
approach may refer to the
vehicular apparatus complying with fig. id up to fig. lh.
The vehicular apparatus may serve three modes of operation: idle tracked mode,
trip tracked mode,
and tolling mode.
In the idle tracked mode continuous authentic installation of a toll charging
unit in the vehicle is
verified by, for example, sampling the toll charging unit by the usage
condition layer through 239a1T to
assure continuous authentic installation using vehicle authentication records
which are stored under
authorized installation of a toll charging unit and continuous time records
applied with a toll charging unit
at all modes of operations (including idle mode). This mode can be applied by
an extension to the PTT
processing which is further described.
Trip tracked mode operation should be activated while a car is traveling,
using for example indication
from a GNSS receiver installed in the in-vehicle toll charging unit. During a
trip, the toll charging unit
activates a Privilege Certification Control processes (PCC), which processes
may include but not limited
to, for example, tracking obedience to path controlled trip through 246 and
certification of the level of
obedience with respect to a level of entitlement to privileged road toll
according to criteria stored preferably
in the toll charging unit, and/or monitoring active contribution to usage of
ADAS through for example 246,
and/or monitoring active contribution to cooperative safety driving of
autonomous vehicles by for example
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cooperative localization estimation, possibly through 246. Accordingly the PCC
may certify such
conditions with respect to entitlement to privileged road toll.
Tolling mode may be activated by the toll charging unit according to arrival
to destination of a path
controlled trip or be activated by a toll charging layer based on stored
tolling related data on the toll charging
unit. During the tolling mode, trip details related Privacy Preservation
Tolling (PPT) processes are activated
by the toll charging unit, enabling hidden trip related tolling management,
including for example privileges
of free of charge toll and/or toll discount to be applied according to
certification from PCC processes.
Criteria entitling for privileges may refer but not limited to usage of, for
example, path controlled trip
and/or elements such as ADAS, and/or using autonomous vehicle enabling to
contribute to cooperative safe
driving. In case of autonomous vehicles, usage of automatic driving mode by
the vehicle may enable to
receive indication by the toll charging unit through for example 246, enabling
the PCC processes to entitle
the vehicle with privilege of, for example, free of charge toll or toll
discount.
In case of ADAS usage, for example by any type of vehicle, such privilege may
be activated through
said indication received by the toll charging unit about usage of certified
ADAS or by an integrated device
which includes at least a toll charging unit and a certified ADAS. The trip
tracked mode may be expanded
to include, in addition to said tasks, confirmation of path controlled trip
usage and/or other privilege
entitling conditions during a trip, and which process may be initiated by a
car plate identification system
(using Automatic Number Plate Recognition - ANRP) as a result of inspection to
enforce toll charge on
non privileged entitled trips including usage of path controlled trips and/or
other toll privileging conditions.
Conditions entitling vehicle trips with privileges other than usage of path
controlled trips should
preferably be tracked as well during the trip in order to enable to
entitlement for full privileges.
Enforcement of tolling on non privileged trips may include identification of a
car plate which triggers a
confirmation process to confirm usage of path controlled trip by the
identified vehicle, for example, by
transmitting a message to the usage condition layer to verify and validate
entitlement to privileges for the
identified vehicle. In turn the usage condition layer transmits a message to
the respective toll charging unit
to validate entitlement for privilege with respect to the time of the
identification. The transmission by the
usage condition layer should preferably be performed under conditions in which
an IP address is activated
by the toll charging unit which differs from an IP address used with anonymous
communication, which
may serve path controlled trip related position transmission updates, in order
to not identify the anonymous
source while enabling vehicle identification such as registration number under
privacy preservation of trip
details. The toll charging unit may accordingly validate trip conditions
entitling privileges, such as usage
of path controlled trip through the trip tracked mode related processes, and
respond with a respective
confirming message or a non confirming message to the usage condition layer.
According to some embodiments, direct interaction between the car plate
identification system and the
toll charging unit may save intervention of the usage condition layer under
conditions of confirmed usage
of path controlled trip by the vehicle.
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Communication between a toll charging unit and the usage condition layer may
preferably include
secure communication between the toll charging unit and the usage condition
layer in order to prevent
intervention in the communication chain by a non authorized process.
Fig. 1i2 illustrates schematically a toll charging unit and its interaction
with in-vehicle DNA and a path
control system, using according to some embodiments in-vehicle communication
means including mobile
Internet means, instead of using a dedicated communication means associated
with the toll charging unit
as illustrated by fig. lil. Communication between a toll charging unit and the
usage condition layer may
preferably include secure communication between the toll charging unit and the
usage condition layer in
order to prevent intervention in the communication chain by a non authorized
process. According some
embodiments, the toll charging unit may use, preferably under secured
communication, WiFi
communication or a Smartphone, through for example Bluetooth, to communicate
with the usage condition
layer.
Fig. 1i3, illustrates schematically expanded configuration of vehicular
apparatus described with fig. 1i2,
enabling to support privileges to cooperative safe driving. Indication about
usage of functionality which
activates cooperative safe driving mode is received for example by the toll
charging unit from 246b through
246 using, for example, wireless local area network (WLAN).
Cooperative safety, which should preferably be applied with automated driving
mode of an
autonomous vehicle, may preferably use fusion of multiple sensors measurements
from multiple vehicles.
According to some embodiments, implementation of free of charge toll or toll
discount is used to
provide privilege for usage of functionalities which apply cooperative safe
driving by a vehicle. Such non
full compulsory approach may preferably be applied to generate conditions for
robust cooperative safety
driving which is a major factor to guarantee safe automated driving by
autonomous vehicles and safe
driving by Cooperative Intelligent Transportation (C-ITS).
Fig. li3a illustrates schematically the sensing, communication and fusion
functionalities involved with
cooperative mapping of relative distances between a vehicle and other
vehicles, and which mapping may
be expanded to improve sensor based localization of a vehicle on high
resolution in-vehicle map (used by
autonomous vehicles) based also on vehicle to vehicle communication
functionalities and functionalities to
fuse a plurality of sensor measurements performed by each vehicle of a
plurality of vehicles.
Mapping cooperatively interrelated distances among vehicles V1, V2 and V3, may
use vehicle to
vehicle transmission of in-vehicle sensing measurements through vehicle to
vehicle (V2V) communication,
wherein each of the vehicles may share with other vehicles measurements
enabling by each of the vehicles
to fuse similar measurements generated by other vehicles in order to improve
by each vehicle its own
measurement(s).
Fusion of multiple source measurements by a single vehicle enables to
determine more robustly
relative dynamic distance which may be applied according to relative weights
corresponding to ambiguities
in similar measurements performed by different sources using for example
weighted least squares. An
option to improve in-vehicle sensor based localization of a vehicle on an in-
vehicle high resolution road
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map, by cooperative localization, may be enabled by for example sharing
further a localization result
performed by a vehicle according to a fixed object, such as a signpost, with
other vehicles having used the
same object for their localization, and to improve by each vehicle its own
localization by fusion of multiple
source measurements to determine location according to relative weights
corresponding to ambiguities in
the measurements using for example weighted least squares. This option may
further be used to backup
or to complement vehicle to vehicle dynamically estimated distances, according
to dynamically estimated
distances among vehicles, according to in-vehicle positioning of the vehicles
performed to localize the
vehicle on a high resolution road map. In this respect fusion of relative
dynamically measured distances
according to positioning of vehicles, using fixed object having known accurate
position as a reference, with
relative distances mapped according to relative mapping of dynamic objects,
may contribute to the accuracy
of both, the localization of the vehicle on a road map and the mapping of
distances.
Fusion of multiple estimates by a single vehicle may be applied according to
relative weights
corresponding to ambiguities in similar estimates, performed by different
sources, using for example
weighted least squares.
Fig.1j1 up to fig.1j3 illustrate schematically embodiments for the
coordination of path controlled trips
preferably applied with a basic paths planning layer, wherein inputs and
outputs in the figures refer to
different inputs and outputs in other figures describing different
implementation alternatives to apply a path
control system and which some of the alternatives are described by such
figures.
Fig.lj 4 and Fig. 1j5 illustrate schematically basic traffic prediction layer
with respect to different
embodiments in which some of them apply mapping of demand of trips as
described in fig.1j4. According
to some embodiments, when there is lack of data about trip related tracked
positions there is a need to
estimate complementary data about the distribution of the vehicles on the
network and to estimate demand
according to traffic information received through 220, and through 219 through
243, enabling state
estimation of demand (and indirectly distribution of vehicles on the network)
according to state prediction
(based on demand prediction) received from 245, under constraints of demand
related data received from
vehicles through 218 and further through 242 (according to fig.1j4) and
distribution of position related trips
through 219 and further through 240. Path controlled trips, planned according
to prior control cycle is fed
to the DTA through 210 or 210a. Constraints according to mapped demand
performed by the traffic layer
may according to fig.1j5 be received directly through 218 as illustrated in
fig.1j5.
Further elaboration on vehicular apparatus, methods, and functionalities, and
on apparatus, methods,
and functionalities of the path control system, is provided with following
description of embodiments of
the invention.
Main abilities which require innovation to make such a multi layer approach,
including layers such as
Usage condition layer, Traffic prediction layer, Paths planning layer and
Traffic mapping layer, to be
feasible and efficient are:
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= With paths planning layer: convergence towards coordination of paths on
the network, which tends
to maximize flow on the network under constraints of real time and fairness in
path assignments
to path controlled trips,
= With traffic prediction layer and traffic mapping layer: accuracy of
dynamic traffic mapping and
prediction under constrains of real time calibration of a dynamic traffic
simulation with sufficiently
accurate models,
= With usage condition layer: privacy preservation of trip details under
free of charge road toll or
toll discounts privilege to facilitate encouragement of path controlled trips
usage, and optimizing
joint control on demand of trips and on coordination of paths, in order to
maximize flow according,
for example, economical benefits such as value of travel time.
According to some embodiments, all the above mentioned layers, that is, usage
condition layer, traffic
mapping layer, traffic prediction layer and paths planning layer, may be
applied as complementary layers
of a path control system.
According to some other embodiments, each of the layers or functionalities
descried with the layers
may be applied independently, for example, to support other systems and/or to
support a system which
applies less functionalities or more functionalities in comparison to
described layers or to apply
functionalities described hereinafter and above by the present invention at
any combination and at any
level of complexity of implementation.
The benefit of using all the layers is expected to be highest enabling robust
and high performance of path
controlled trips and further lower dependency of traffic predictions on non
deterministic (stochastic)
behavior of drivers with respect to usage of route choice models.
According to some embodiments, applying the traffic prediction layer without
using the paths
planning layer, should preferably not be supported by the usage condition
layer, since non controlled usage
of traffic prediction may affect negatively local network flows due to high
potential of conflicts among
drivers that may attempt to take benefit of predicted freedom degrees on the
network without coordinating
path control. Therefore, without a paths planning layer applying coordination
among path controlled trips,
while using just on traffic predictions to support planning of paths, there
should be a need to limit the level
of usage of driving navigation aids usage to a level which may minimize the
negative effects of non-
coordinated trips on the network.
According to some embodiments, traffic prediction layer and the paths planning
layer, which are
applied without applying the usage condition layer, may improve the traffic
flow on the network although
only a limited percentage of path controlled trips may be expected to be used.
These examples provide some indication on flexibility in the implementation,
while in general the
above division of a path control system into layers is used for convenience,
that is, processes related to any
of the layers may be used independently or jointly with other described or non
described processes or layers
according to implementation needs and constraints.
Therefore, division into system layers is not necessarily associated with some
further descriptions
of embodiments of the invention, and any association of processes with such
further description is left open
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for implementation convenience. In this respect, embodiments of the invention
described hereinafter may
be associated with system layers described above or with any other system
configuration.
The following describes a method, apparatus and/or system which may enable
high utilization of
road networks (hereinafter and above the use of the term network without
specific relation to a type of a
network refers to a road network unless otherwise specified), using control on
paths of trips with at least
the aim to resolve above mentioned issues. According to some embodiments, such
a control on paths may
be implemented as an upgrade to available driving navigation aids and/or
respective navigation control
system used to guide drivers or autonomous driving of vehicles on roads.
A driving navigation aid (hereinafter DNA will refer to driving navigation
aid) may refer but not
be limited to a dedicated driving navigation aid which assists drivers
verbally or visually, or by both means,
to reach destination according to a planned route to destination; or may refer
to a driving navigation aid
software application installed for example on a Smartphone, or may refer to a
DNA functionality which is
part of an autonomous driving vehicle system which assists autonomous driving
toward destination.
A difference between a DNA used to assist a driver and a DNA used to assist an
autonomous
vehicle is that a DNA which is used to assist a driver may be based solely on
GNSS positioning supported
by map matching, whereas a DNA used with an autonomous vehicle may take
benefit of vehicle localization
on high resolution road maps and which its positioning is performed with the
support of sensors such as
Laser scanner(s) and/or Radar(s) and/or Camera(s). According to some
embodiment, said control on paths
may be provided as an upgrade to a system that provides driving navigation
service, wherein paths for path
controlled trips are provided to drivers or autonomous vehicles through DNA by
a driving navigation
service system platform, or by an upgrade to a virtual model of a driving
navigation service system platform
which may guide drivers and autonomous vehicles to their respective
destinations.
Examples of driving navigation service platforms in this respect may refer but
not be limited to
system platforms used for example by Google and Waze respective services, or
to services provided, for
example, by other operators, or to driving navigation system services that are
serving, or might upgrade
automakers' platform(s) to serve, DNAs.
In this respect an installed base of driving navigation service may, for
example, provide a platform
or a model for a platform to be upgraded by dynamic path controlled trips,
which enables traffic distribution
for load balancing on the network, as well as may provide further a platform
or a model for an additional
upgrade which may enable to generate conditions for high usage of path
controlled trips on the network.
Control on path calculations for path controlled trips, refers to a process
which is aimed at
improving the traffic flow on the network, preferably by leading to load
balancing of traffic on the network,
and which traffic improvement is aimed at exploiting degrees of freedom on a
road network according to
predicted demand of trips and predicted traffic, in order to preferably
substantially maximize the traffic
.. flow on the network.
Said control on paths may refer hereinafter to the term path control, and may
be categorized as a
model predictive control oriented system and method in which traffic
prediction simulations synthesize, by
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the support of dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) simulator, traffic development
according to path
controlled trips, and which path control preferably shapes the traffic toward
load balance according to
effects of controlled paths on traffic predictions; wherein a DTA simulator
enables prediction to be sensitive
to non linear and time varying traffic flows on a network with traffic
predictions.
According to some embodiments, path control refers further to coordination of
path controlled trips,
preferably performed by a method which assigns paths dynamically to trips
according to controlled traffic
predictions, and which paths that are assigned to trips are preferably aimed
at converging gradually to
substantial fair assignment of paths among trips, leading to substantial load
balance on the network.
In this respect fairness that might be considered to be satisfied by non
discriminating assignment
of paths may cause negative developing effect(s) on the network, due to
preferred commitment to apply
simultaneous non-discriminating search for paths in order to exploit a common
freedom degree(s) on the
network, (which means applying simultaneous greedy search for paths), and
which said negative effect(s)
should preferably be resolved by further path control which gradually diverts
minimum initial said non
discriminating paths to alternative path s in order to overcome the negative
effect(s). The gradual diversion
should preferably take benefit of assigned paths which may take benefit of the
freedom degrees on the
network by some other alternatives to the alternatives which found to be the
cause for potential negative
effects on the network. Freedom degrees may refer hereinafter and above to,
for example, naturally
developing freedom degrees on the network due to dynamic demand and/or to, for
example, relatively
freedom degrees which may develop as result of irregularity in the traffic
and/or as a result of changes in
paths which reduces load balance of the traffic on the network.
According to some embodiments, with such approach the path control enables
both convergence
towards load balance and fairness in the assignment of paths. The approach may
enable rapid convergence
towards load balance which may be achieved by sufficient computation power to
maintain control on high
share of path controlled trips in the traffic, while maintaining corrections
to deviations from substantial
load balance by discrete path control on a continuous base.
According to some embodiments, path control is implemented as an upgrade to a
system platform
which serves driving navigation aids, either as an external system which
supports such a system platform
to provide path controlled trips, or as a path control functionality within a
system platform which serves
driving navigation aids.
According to some embodiments, a platform which serves DNAs provides a model
for an upgrade
wherein an upgrade is implemented on such a system model either internally or
externally.
Since the functionality of path control can be provided as an internal upgrade
to a system platform
that might not be distinguishable from the functionality of an external system
upgrade, the term path control
which is used by some embodiments may refer to both implementation
possibilities.
Freedom degrees on the network, which are used by path control to improve
traffic flow, preferably
by applying traffic load balancing, may refer to the marginal capacity (non
occupied capacity) of links of a
network and to the network topology, from which path control may take benefit,
and which freedom degrees
provide flexibility to dynamically assign paths for trips on the network
according to current traffic,
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controlled traffic predictions and predicted demand of trips within a finite
time horizon while considering
fixed and dynamic traffic flow constraints on the network.
Demand of trips may be characterized at a high resolution by trip pairs (
positions to destinations)
and/or at a limited resolution according to trip pairs among zones on the
network; wherein aggregated trip
pairs may relate to demand among zones with respect to preferably a wide sense
stationary time interval. .
Predicted demand may refer to non yet served entries of trips to a network
which preferably refer
to pairs of zones, for example, path controlled trips with relation to a
forward time interval associated with
pairs of zones, or path controlled trips having for example forward time
related interval associated with
entries and/or exits related to links on a network, preferably major links.
The flexibility to distribute trips according to paths on the network refers
to the flexibility to take
benefit of different alternative paths to destinations and the flexibility to
apply dynamic rerouting according
to dynamically developing traffic. In this respect dynamic rerouting refers to
paths assigned to path
controlled trips which under path control may dynamically be changed.
Said marginal capacity on a network, which determines freedom degrees on the
network, refers to
non occupied capacities on network links while considering current and
controlled traffic predictions.
Controlled traffic predictions refer in this respect to simulated traffic
predictions, applied for
example by a DTA simulator, wherein a traffic simulator is fed by paths
planned with the path control for
path controlled trips, as part of an evaluation of potential effect on travel
times on the network, and which
evaluation may either lead to further planning of paths (corrections) and/or
to assignment of paths to path
controlled trips.
Since traditional traffic control (e.g., traffic light control) on a road
network, which is integrated in
a traffic simulator, may be affected, inter-alia, by interferences caused by
human behavior and may be
limited by non full coverage on the network, the reliability of said
controlled traffic predictions may be
degraded due to such effects Degradation may be further a result of lack of
traffic information and/or
demand information and/or non perfect network demand models, as well as non
perfect dynamic supply
models. Therefore, the ability to identify at high reliability freedom degrees
on the network and to fully
exploit the freedom degrees is expected to be limited.
In this respect, high share of path controlled trips may provide a highly
valuable solution not just
due to the ability to apply more reliable predictive control but also due to
the ability to get more traffic and
demand related information from path controlled trips, which in turn enables
to synthesize by a DTA
simulator, having non linear time varying flow models, higher quality of time
dependent traffic flow to
support predictive path control on network flow.
In order to improve or maximize traffic flow, by predictive path control, the
goal should be to
maximize usage of path controlled trips which increases the reliability of the
information about demand of
trips and about traffic flow enabling to apply a more robust control on path
controlled trips, while reducing
dependency of predictive path control on estimation of demand of trips
according to limited traffic data
trough DTA models. In this respect the higher the quality and coverage of real
time demand and traffic
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related data, the lower is the sensitivity of model based demand estimation
and DTA calibration to real time
errors, and, as a result, the higher is the robustness of predictive path
control.
A more robust predictive path control, which enables a more effective traffic
load balance due to
high usage of path controlled trips increases the available capacity on the
network, due to reduction of
travel times on the network as a result of the tendency to maximize the
potential contribution of dynamic
rerouting by predictive path control applying traffic load balancing.
A Dynamic Traffic Assignment (DTA) simulation platform which may enable
controlled traffic
predictions for a predictive path control typically includes demand and supply
traffic models.
Different types of DTA simulators are available in the field of transportation
and are commonly
divided into three categories:
- microscopic DTA simulators, provide the highest traffic simulation
resolution which typically assist local
traffic planning on a network,
- mesoscopic DTA simulators, which are considered as lower resolution
simulators are typically used with
network level planning to evaluate typical flows, and
- intermediate DTA simulators which apply resolution in between microscopic
and mesoscopic DTA
categories.
A less common simulator which is more oriented to real time traffic
predictions for wide networks
is known as quasi-dynamic traffic simulator which is a simplified simulator
for dynamic assignments.
In general the higher the accuracy of the supply model of a DTA, which is
further elaborated, the
higher is the quality that may be expected from traffic predictions. However,
a major issue in this respect
is the simulator run time which puts a limit on the accuracy which can be
implemented with a DTA in terms
of real time calibration (demand and parameter state estimation) by affordable
computation power.
A typical DTA simulator is comprised of several sub models and which sub
models are associated with
two main categories of DTA models, and which main categories are the Demand
Model and the Supply
Model mentioned above. In this respect a DTA, according to different accuracy
levels, may include but not
be limited to:
a. A demand Model which divides the network into zones among which trip pairs
are assigned, and
expanded for real time traffic predictions by a demand prediction model for
zone to zone demand
of trips. A demand prediction model, which expands the demand model is aimed
at enabling real
time demand predictions according to past demand data, possibly with the
support of historical data
which may apply statistical prediction models associated possibly with pattern
recognition methods
for differential statistical demand prediction. Advanced demand model may
include demand
control models such as road toll and early/late trip departure recommendations
in association with
a demand prediction model.
b. A supply Model, which models the network traffic flow development, and
which includes sub-
models which are, but not limited to, road network characteristics at a level
of links and
intersections, routes and route choice model for the non controlled paths
according to classes of
vehicles, plans of traffic control means such as traffic lights and variable
signals, and, with high
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resolution DTA, also intra link related traffic model such as lane changes and
behavior related car
following having a as potential to be expanded to intra and inter link control
models such as, but
not limited to, vehicle to vehicle communication effects considered to be
applied with autonomous
vehicles and/or with Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems.
It should be clarified that typical DTA models are used mainly for traffic
planning purposes, such as
road network planning and traffic lights control planning, while some real
time experiments use such DTAs
for traffic predictions. Such DTAs may provide prime platforms for required
expansions which may further
support real time controlled traffic predictions for predictive path control
with advanced traffic supply and
demand models. Advanced expansions may include but not limited to:
= a demand model expanded by demand control which may include sub models such
as, for example,
road toll effects and/or effects of prescheduled trip requests/recommendations
if, for example,
prescheduled route recommendations/requests are allowed by a driving
navigation service, and/or
expansions related to methods, systems and apparatus described by the present
invention;
= a supply model expanded by sub models such as for example vehicle to
vehicle communication
effects on traffic development, enabling for example autonomous vehicles to be
included in DTA
based traffic predictions and/or, for example, vehicle to vehicle and/or
vehicle to infrastructure
communication effects on traffic development, to be included in DTA based
traffic predictions,
and which such communication and respective applications may be considered for
example with
or without deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) or
Cooperative ITS.
According to some embodiments, models of such advanced control systems may
expand less advanced
DTA simulation platforms used typically for planning purposes and/or for
traffic predictions under
conditions of less advanced traffic control.
Traffic predictions based on traffic models, such as DTA simulators, are
mandatory to apply model
predictive control which predictive path control is based on. However such
approach requires means to
calibrate a DTA in substantial real-time in order to enable a DTA to apply
traffic predictions, wherein the
calibration should preferably be applied using state estimation methods.
State estimation may serve advanced control applications and comprises variety
of known methods to
support model based predictions, such as Kaman Filter (KF) based methods to
support non linear systems
by for example Extended Kaman Filter (EKF) and Unscented Kaman Filter (UKF),
as well as Monte Carlo
based methods such as particle filters and EnKF, just to mention some of them.
Such methods are aimed at enabling to track hidden variables which under
simplified description
(which is further elaborated) refer to the demand model and preferably also to
varying parameters of the
supply model of a DTA and which such methods are aimed at enabling
substantially real-time calibration
of a DTA. In terms of state estimation the demand prediction model is the
process model, the supply model
is the measurement model, traffic information represent the field measurements
in term of state estimation,
and the demand hidden variables and possibly also parameters of the supply
model are the variables of the
state vector in terms of state estimation.
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However, under limited traffic information, as well as under limited usage of
path controlled trips (i.e.,
dominance of the DTA stochastic route choice model and hidden demand
variables), calibration of a DTA
by state estimation becomes more than a major issue.
In this respect, a need to cope with a high dimension problem of high
dimension demand state vector,
expanded by supply model parameters which require joint or dual state
estimation, as well as the need to
cope with non linear time varying and stochastic supply model, puts a serious
barrier to apply state
estimation which is required for predictive path control on city wide
networks.
The issue starts with a need for huge computation power even for a quite
limited prediction resolution
with respect to the size of the demand state vector (time related entries
associated with destinations of trips)
which the non linear and stochastic nature of the supply converts the issue to
a barrier while considering to
take benefit of predictive path control for a city size network.
However, this is not the only issue. An irreducible problem in this respect,
which computation resources
may not resolve, is the conflict between a need to overcome the time varying
nature of the developing
traffic on the network, by short time intervals of state estimation, and a
need to increase the time intervals
in order to reduce the ambiguity in the estimation (coefficient variations) to
which the high dimension non-
linear and stochastic DTA nature is added . This prohibits implementation of
high quality predictive path
control which is the only approach to exploit the potential of dynamic freedom
degrees on a network in
order to improve the traffic, or even prohibits justification of such approach
in some cases.
As further elaborated, with further embodiments, some innovative methods are
suggested to reduce
complexity and non reliability issues associated with high dimension non
linear time varying state and
parameter estimation which may enable to reduce issues associated with the TDA
calibration at substantial
real time and which such methods improve and generalize the solution in
comparison to some limited
concrete cases which exclude typical traffic in a city wide network.
Potential exploitation of freedom degrees on the network may only be obtained
by high quality
controllable traffic predictions, that is, enabling to control traffic
distribution by predictive path control
which exploits high time resolution in a relatively long time horizon
according to the predictions
(hereinafter and above the terms path control and predictive path control may
be used interchangeably).
As described with some embodiments a major step towards a possibility to
obtain such an objective is
to motivate high usage of path controlled trips and coordination of such
trips. This may minimize or even
eliminate the issue associated with calibration of a DTA and enable high or
even full control on the traffic
distribution as further elaborated.
Another major step towards efficient traffic predictions is to encourage
prescheduled trips associated
with encouraged usage of path controlled trips which may reduce also
ambiguities associated with statistical
predictions of the demand and which along the range of a prediction time
horizon may reduce the demand
resolution (zone to zone demand of trips). With lack of sufficient
prescheduled trips, the further the time
interval in the horizon of the prediction the lower is the resolution (longer
time intervals are required in
further time intervals in order to maintain the same level of statistical
errors).
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Prescheduled trips may reduce in this respect errors associated with
predictions of demand applied by
statistical models, which for example may use time series analysis preferably
supported, for example, by
historical patterns to linearize time series behavior by performing time
series analysis for the differences
between similar historical and current patterns (possibly including respective
traffic patterns). As a result
the resolution of relatively long predictions may be increased and
respectively the efficiency of the
predictive control will increase or even become fully exploited.
Motivation to use prescheduled path controlled trips may be applied based on
differential privileges
according to which higher privilege may be provided to prescheduled path
controlled trip than a privilege
provided to non prescheduled path controlled trip.
The functionality of a service which applies prescheduled trips may be
described from a point of view
of a user software application installed on, for example, a Smartphone.
Activation of such a software
application, at a time or recurrently, should be associated with a certain
vehicle, for example, according to
its registration number. Such an application includes a functionality enabling
to transmit a request for
prescheduled path controlled trip, according to a position to a destination,
and to receive a response to the
request. Preferably a response includes one or more recommendations for
departure times, associated
preferably with estimated travel time savings, of which one recommendation is
selected and accordingly
transmitted as a confirmed selection. According to options which may
preferably provided with the
software application to determine the departure position, a departure position
may be identified
automatically or be specified by the user. For example, automatic
identification may be applied according
to the position of the Smartphone from which the request is transmitted, if
applicable, or according to
stored position of the vehicle on the Smartphone, if applicable, or according
to stored position of the vehicle
which is transmitted from a service center which tracks the vehicle position,
if applicable. Specified
departure position may further be an option according to which a street name
and number of a building are
fed to the software application by a user.
Generation of conditions for high usage of path controlled trips on a network
may enable to increase
the level of the control on the distribution of the traffic and hence the
potential exploitation of the traffic
demand to supply ratio on the network, which includes drastic reduction or
even elimination of the high
dimension non linear time varying and stochastic state estimation issues.
In this respect, generating motivation for high usage, while applying a method
for coordination of
paths by predictive path control enabling further fairness in path assignment
under predictive path control,
may encourage high usage of path controlled trips. Under such conditions, the
higher the share of path
controlled trips, the less dependence on the stochastic part of the supply
model is obtained as well as the
lower could be the coefficient variations of the estimation (due to stochastic
data and models) and the bias
(due to non linear models) in zone to zone demand estimation (if estimation is
still needed), and as a result
high performance of predictive path control may be applied (with high usage of
path controlled trips) or
even the highest performance control (with full usage of path controlled
trips) may be achieved.
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According to some embodiments, increase in the share of path controlled trips
may be obtained by
providing free of charge road toll (hereinafter the term toll refers also to
road toll) for path controlled trips
in order to encourage usage of path controlled trips.
According to some embodiments, increase in the share of path controlled trips
may be obtained by
providing free of charge toll or toll discount for path controlled trips to
encourage usage of path controlled
trips.
Implementation of such approach introduces an innovative strategy which has
near term and long
term aspects that may enable to realize predictive traffic optimization on the
network gradually, with
minimum or even with no potential objections from the public. Such approach
may start with robust privacy
preserving free of charge road-tolling, provided as privilege to encourage
usage of path controlled trips by
robust predictive path control, and according to a need, further enabling to
apply discounted tolling in order
to control freedom degrees on the network, by dilution of the demand, which in
turn enables ultimate
predictive optimization of traffic flows on the network. Such approach may
further be expanded to apply
authentic and anonymous requests for prescheduled trips which enable more
accurate optimization of traffic
on the network, for longer controlled time horizons, in comparison to
statistical predictions associated with
zone to zone demand.
Privacy preserving toll charging is a key factor that should be considered in
order to avoid raised
potential claim that trip details might be vulnerable to non authorized access
which is the case with exposure
of trip details to a toll charging center. In this respect, according to some
embodiments, an innovative robust
privacy preservation is introduced which enables to hide trip details from a
toll charging center while
enabling to apply tolling transactions by an upgrade to a relatively low cost
tolling concept.
In this respect a GNSS tolling concept, which introduces a relatively low cost
tolling platform may
be upgraded by innovative robust privacy preserving tolling transactions for
wide coverage as described
further with some embodiments. In this respect, under provision of free of
charge toll privilege, there is no
need for costly automatic car plate identification traps to be widely deployed
since there is no real incentive
to drivers to bypass free of charge tolling while being guided according to
most efficient path controlled
trips. The advantage of such approach has further aspects than just the low
cost aspect, as the GNSS tolling
vehicular platform may provide a platform to support further robust predictive
path control based on
authentic vehicular related data which may be received by a path control
system and which may include:
real time updates of authentic anonymous predictive demand for trips (which
complements anonymous
provision of paths to path controlled trips according to anonymous requests by
dynamically determined
communication procedure with certified vehicular units), and real time updates
of authentic anonymous
progress of trips (based on anonymous provision of paths to path controlled
trips according to anonymous
requests by dynamically determined communication procedure with certified
vehicular units).
A complementary innovative element which may complement cooperative driving,
applied by
privileged path controlled trips, is cooperative safe driving on road networks
which its efficiency is
dependent on massive usage of matured autonomous vehicles and which according
some embodiments may
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be applied as an expansion to a privileged path control system and/or as
independent privileged cooperative
safe driving.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, free of charge toll or toll
discount are provided as
privilege to encourage usage of autonomous vehicles which are equipped with
apparatus enabling
cooperative positioning of moving vehicles, wherein positions and preferably
also short term predicted
positions, which are determined by each vehicle, are exchanged among vehicles
by vehicle to vehicle
communication. In this respect high density of such vehicles may be generated
on the network by said
privileges to usage of automatic driving, enabling robust cooperative safe
driving according to current and
anticipated relative distances among vehicles which such vehicles may
calculate according said current and
anticipated exchanged positions.
The robustness of cooperative safe driving may further be improved by fusion
of direct relative
distance measurements between a vehicle and vehicles in its vicinity, applied
by each vehicle of a plurality
of autonomous vehicles, and disseminating by each vehicle to other vehicles
(in its vicinity) the
measurements through vehicle to vehicle communication. This enables fusion of
complementary pairs of
measurements by each vehicle in order to reduce potential error of a single
measurement. Fusion in this
respect may apply weighted least square based methods, preferably expanded to
predictive fusion which
determine dynamic relative distances among vehicles according to predictive
positions which may be
applies according to in-vehicle calibrated model based motion simulator which
may determine predicted
weights. Such approach under high density of autonomous vehicles on a network
may further enable to
reduce costs of sensors which may count on fusion of multiple measurements
from multiple sensors
installed on different vehicles.
Privileges to encourage cooperative safe driving are preferably combined with
privileges to
encourage usage of path controlled trips, according to some embodiments, for
example, by providing
privilege which discriminates between contribution to safe driving and
efficient driving. Since automatic
driving of autonomous vehicles depends on a DNA it is natural to expect that
free of charge road toll or toll
discount may be applied at some stage to encourage usage of autonomous
vehicles due to both safe and
efficient usage of road network. Entitlement to privilege at such a stage
requires indication about usage of
apparatus which enables said cooperative safe driving which, for example,
usage of automatic driving mode
may provide.
Methods and apparatus to realize such a concept is described hereinafter by
respective
embodiments, while considering according to some embodiments identification of
conditions which enable
tolerated reaction of a tolling system (vehicular and central apparatus) to
proved exceptional situations by
providing for example privileges to trips under such situations. Exceptional
situations may include,
according to some embodiments, inability of an autonomous vehicle or a driver
to be guided by path
controlled trips due to malfunction in the communication with in-vehicle
apparatus or due to malfunction
in in-vehicle apparatus which prevents usage of path controlled trips. In
order to avoid a need to prove
frequent inability of usage of path controlled trips, tolerated reaction may
further include, according to
some embodiments, provision of toll privileges to non full usage of path
control along a trip and/or to a
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number and/or to a percentage of trips and/or to a portion of trips which were
not using or obeying to path
control during a predetermined aggregated period of time such as for example
during a certain period of
time in a month or a week.
According to some embodiments, toll discount, or free of charge toll, are
applied by using a toll
charging unit installed in the car, or by emulated functionality supported
partially or fully by one or more
in-vehicle devices, and which unit or functionality of the unit has
interaction with an in vehicle DNA and
with a toll charging center, as well with means through which vehicle
authentication can be determined by
the installed unit. An independent vehicular toll charging unit is a dedicated
in-vehicle (on board) toll unit,
enabling according to some embodiments to guarantee secured toll charging
independently of other in-
.. vehicle devices, preferably by enabling in-vehicle toll charges or free of
charge tolls to be managed without
exposure of trip details to a toll charging center while reporting to a toll
charging center about the sum of
calculated toll or free of charge toll. With such approach the independence of
toll charging unit of other in-
vehicle devices prevents exposure of the toll charging unit data and processes
from non authorized access.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, a toll charging unit or its
functionality may preferably
include, but not be limited to include: vehicle positioning means such as a
GNSS receiver; communication
apparatus and processes enabling to receive path related trips used with a DNA
to guide a driver or an
autonomous vehicle on a road network; processing and memory apparatus as well
as processes to manage
in-vehicle said secured toll charges according to said guiding path received
from a DNA and tracked
positions of the vehicle according to in-vehicle positioning means, and
according to pre-stored data and
processes to calculate toll charges or to decide on free of charge toll;
process enabling to report to a toll
charging center about toll charges which include but not limited to vehicle
authentication data which is
securely stored on the toll charging unit memory, preferably on nonvolatile
memory and preferably stored
by an authorized entity and by authorized apparatus and processes;
communication apparatus and processes
to interact with a toll charging center with respect to toll charging and/or
free of charge toll, preferably
including a process enabling frequent monitoring of connectivity of the toll
charging unit, preferably with
a toll charging center; apparatus and processes to support possible additional
features related to a need to
guarantee any further certified and secured toll related activity and
installation of the toll charging unit in a
vehicle. An alternative implementation of a toll charging unit functionality,
which potentially may have a
lower level of potential acceptance for certification, can be based on a
software and/or hardware add-on to
.. one or more in-vehicle devices which provide a non independent toll
charging unit with full functionality
upgrade, preferably using one or more in-vehicule platforms (hereinafter
device and vehicular platform
may be used interchangeably) for example by communication of such non
independent toll charging unit
with complementary software and hardware of in-vehicle devices or by
integration/emulation of a toll
charging unit functionality with/by an in-vehicle device. According to some
embodiments, implementation
of a toll charging unit, which is an independent unit, may include hardware
and software means that a non
independent unit may be equipped with access to one or more of them. Such in-
vehicle means, preferably
associated with an independent unit, or complementary means to which a
dependent unit may have access,
may include but not be limited to:
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= Positioning means including but not limited to: GNSS based positioning
using a positioning means
such as a GPS receiver and/or Galileo receiver and/or GLONASS receiver and/or
BeiDou receiver
and/or Compass navigation system receiver and/or differential GPS receiver
and/or GNSS receiver
supported by data from an augmentation system such as EGNOS and/or a
positioning means such
as differential GPS RTK and/or GNSS receiver supported by map matching, or a
positioning means
such as localization means on roads used to see beyond sensing with high
definition/resolution road
and/or lane maps wherein localization means may include sensors such as Laser
scanner(s)
(LIDAR) and/or radar(s) and/or camera(s) supported by computer vision
estimation methods to
determine the location of a vehicle on road maps typically on high resolution
maps serving
autonomous vehicles.
= Computation means including CPU, memory and non volatile memory,
= In-vehicle (on-board) communication means to communicate with a DNA
application, which may
require wired or wireless communication and which in case of wireless
communication may enable,
for example, communication with a DNA application installed on a smart phone
and/or with an in-
dash DNA or with a DNA integrated in an in-car entertainment system (also
known as in-vehicle
infotainment system); and which wireless communication may be implemented
through for
example Bluetooth communication and/or Wi-Fi and/or through for example in car
communication
means enabling to communicate with in-vehicle devices using communication
means such as
available with connected cars which further enable to utilize by a toll
charging unit in-vehicle
available resources and data required with a toll charging unit functionality
including, but not
limited to, the ability to communicate with an in-car entertainment system
which usually includes
a DNA, with devices including vehicle positioning means, with devices
including computation
resources, with on board means which stores vehicle authentication related
data such as for example
certified data source for vehicle identification number and/or vehicle
registration number, with
device which may serve directly or indirectly as a means for Internet
communication including but
not limited to communication through mobile cellular networks and/or through
Wi-Fi, and/or
through Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) - enabling a toll charging
unit
functionality to communicate further with a toll charging center or a toll
charging center
functionality.
= Communication means to communicate with a toll charging center or a toll
charging center
functionality indirectly, through for example communication means installed on
the toll charging
unit enabling the toll charging unit to communicate with connected car
wireless communication
means and/or enabling to communicate with in-vehicle Internet communication
means, or for
example, with a Smartphone Bluetooth communication means and/or, for example,
with in-vehicle
Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) used with Intelligent
Transportation Systems
(ITS) for vehicle to infrastructure and possibly also vice-versa
(infrastructure to vehicle).
In case of DSRC, time related positions of a vehicle for toll charging can be
determined according
to road side infrastructure locations rather than by in-vehicle positioning,
and in such a case a GPS
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receiver may be used with a toll charging unit as an option, for example, to
improve resolution of
vehicle positioning for non-dense DSRC road side infrastructure and/or to
increase limited
coverage of DSRC through other communication network(s) such as cellular
mobile networks.
= communication means to read vehicle authentication data through for
example connected car
wireless communication means enabling to communicate with in-vehicle means
which store
vehicle authentication related data such as for example certified data source
for vehicle
identification number and/or vehicle registration number, or , for example, to
receive vehicle
identification number through on-board diagnostic connector or on-board
diagnostic port in the
vehicle or through a split of an access to on board diagnostic port, and which
authentication data is
transmitted when communicating with a toll charging center with respect to a
road toll transaction.
= communication means through which data related to a vehicle operation
mode, entitling the vehicle
with road toll privileges, is updated indirectly through, for example,
connected car wireless
communication means enabling to communicate with in-vehicle means which stores
data related
to vehicle operation mode such as, for example, certified usage of path
controlled trips and/or other
modes such as contribution of a vehicle to safely driving and/or to safe and
efficient distance kept
from other vehicles in its vicinity especially useful with automatic driving
mode of autonomous
vehicle, or directly, with devices in which such data is stored, and which
indication of such data is
transmitted when communicating with a toll charging center with respect to a
road toll transaction.
An alternative to upgrading a non independent toll charging unit by
complementary means may
use a vehicular platform to be upgraded by toll charging vehicular unit
functionality which may refer but
not be limited to vehicular platform such as, for example: an in-car
entertainment system; a GNSS tolling
on-board unit applied for example with road pricing for tracks in Europe;
sensor(s) based localization of a
vehicle on a road map (used for example by autonomous vehicles for positioning
a vehicle on in-vehicle
high resolution road map); a driving navigation aid (DNA), including but not
limited to a DNA based on a
satnav or a DNA used for example with an autonomous vehicle; a black box
installed on a vehicle to track
driver behavior, for example for insurance related applications; a green box
installed on a vehicle to track
driver behavior; an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) which for example
may refer to ADAS
based on camera(s) and/or radar(s) and/or other sensors for warning drivers
and/or a control system using
such sensors to support various levels of automated vehicle classification
such as Level 1 up to level 5
determined by the Society of Automotive Engineers; a GNSS based vehicle
position tracking device; a
telematics unit; a driving navigation control aid associated with an
autonomous vehicle supported by a
DNA which feeds a control system of an autonomous vehicle; an in-vehicle DSRC
unit; a vehicular
platform constructed by more than one of the mentioned platforms (hereinafter
the term vehicular platform
which may refer to a vehicular device, may further be used interchangeably
with a platform constructed by
a plurality of vehicular devices and have the same meaning from functionality
point of view). Such
vehicular devices provide platforms for an upgrade by a toll charging
vehicular unit functionality to
implement an application which motivates the use of path controlled trips, for
example, by free of charge
road toll or by provision of discount to toll charge. In this respect road
toll might not be the only means to
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motivate usage of path controlled trips. For example, mass usage of autonomous
vehicles on the network
should create a need to apply path controlled trips on networks in order to at
least prevent non desirable
traffic development as a result of non coordinated guidance, but this by
itself can't guarantee high utilization
of a network which suffers from high traffic load due to high demand of trips,
and for which case there is
a need to also dilute traffic by for example a road toll charging system, and
which free of charge toll at
early stages and toll discount at advanced stages may enable. Therefore, in
order to guarantee high
utilization of a road network, path controlled trips usage supported by
traffic dilution should be considered
according to needs. In this respect it should be noted that usage of path
controlled trips contribute by itself
to traffic dilution and which traffic dilution on the network increases with
the increase of the share of path
controlled trips in the traffic and which toll charging may further increase
the dilution according to needs
(if path controlled trips are not sufficient to generate desirable flow under
highly traffic loaded network).
Some other vehicular platforms, which according to some demonstrative
embodiments of the invention
may be upgraded in order to motivate path controlled trips usage, are black
boxes and/or green boxes used
to evaluate the level of entitled privilege for discounts in insurance policy
price for cars, which price is
.. determined according to various parameters and which parameters may include
behavior of drivers and/or
the annual mileage of a vehicle. According a demonstrative embodiment,
additional discount to insurance
policy price may be obtained by a black box or a green box indirectly if
efficient path control is used. Path
controlled trips which may reduce mileage, contributes to discount privilege
according to mileage
parameter supported by black boxes and green boxes records. According to a
demonstrative embodiment,
a condition to obtain discount by a black box or green box is to contribute to
traffic improvement by path
control and which such a condition may motivate usage of path controlled
trips. Such an approach may
serve government authorities which, for example, through one authority control
on the cost of insurance
prices relates to human injuries in case of car accidents may be applied,
while through another authority
responsibility for traffic improvement may further be applied. In this
respect, increase in usage of efficient
path controlled trips may have progressive contribution to trip time
reductions on the network, and hence
to risk reduction as well, which may motivate promotion of path controlled
trips by government authorities
and insurance companies. However, this approach by itself can't guarantee high
utilization of a network
which suffers from high traffic load and for which case there is a need to
dilute traffic by for example a
road toll charging system and which free of charge toll at early stages, and
toll discount at later stages, may
motivate path controlled trips usage supported by traffic dilution according
to needs. That is, road toll which
should be considered sooner or later as a means to dilute traffic on the
network, may be used at an initial
stage to encourage path controlled trips by providing preferably free of
charge toll to path controlled trips
and when this approach becomes exhausted then road toll may start to be
implemented to dilute traffic in
conjunction with toll discount for path controlled trips. According to
embodiments, toll charging unit may
either refer to a dedicated unit or to an upgraded vehicular platform which
enables functionality of a toll
charging unit, and which software and/or hardware that are used to upgrade a
said vehicular platform are
subject to implementation decision to take benefit of software and/or hardware
elements which in common
can be used by a said vehicular platform and by the toll charging unit
functionality.
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Since a toll charging vehicular unit functionality which provides upgrade to
vehicular platforms
might not be distinguished from the functionality of a standalone toll
charging unit, the term toll charging
unit used by descriptive embodiments of the invention may refer to both
implementation possibilities
although the unit in this respect might be reduced to software implementation
level.
According to some embodiments, path controlled trips, which are encouraged to
be used by free of
charge road toll or by toll discount, are supported during a trip by a toll
charging application, preferably
installed within a toll charging unit, which record positions of the vehicle
at an acceptable frequency, using
preferably non volatile memory. Records of positions which may be related just
to selective roads or
selective parts of roads (in case that the toll charging application and data
apply selective records) are used
as a reference for comparison with records of positions of trips that
according to path control were
recommended for a trip, for example through a DNA application. Trips which are
found to be following
routes according to path control and which related positions of trips were
preferably transferred to the toll
charging unit installed in the vehicle, for example from the DNA vehicular
application, will be entitled to
receive discount or not being charged by toll.
According to some embodiments, the toll charging unit may transmit to a toll
charging center
positions which characterize a trip and which trip or part of it may be
entitled for a privilege of toll discount
or free of charge toll such as in case that the path control is used with the
trip. According to an embodiment,
trips which are entitled to be free of charge can be saved from being
transmitted to a toll charging center
for privacy preservation reasons and can be erased from user facilities.
According to some embodiments, encouraging usage of path controlled trips by
entitling free of
charge privacy preservation toll includes, for example, recording at an
acceptable frequency positions of a
vehicle during a trip by a toll charging application installed for example on
a said toll charging unit, in
order to acceptably characterize a trip for a possible need to charge toll if
obedience to recommended path
control trip was not performed.
If a path controlled trip is performed according to a DNA application, then
the DNA application
will preferably transfer trip positions that characterize the path controlled
trip to the toll charging unit
during, or after the trips ends. The toll charging unit will use a trip
comparison process to compare its
position records with the path controlled position records and determine
whether the trip is found to be
substantially the same.
According to some embodiments, if the trips were found to be substantially the
same, then,
according to predetermined criteria, no charge will be assigned to such a
trip. According to some
embodiments, positions which characterize a non charged trip will be erased
from the memory of a toll
charging unit, that is, there is no need to keep such records in the toll
charging unit, if there is no need to
involve external facility such as a toll charging center which toll charges.
According to some embodiments, trip related data which are transferred from a
DNA application
to a toll charging unit will be authenticated as data which relate to a path
controlled trip tracked by a toll
charging unit by the support of a toll center related trip authentication
process, which is an authorized trip
authentication process, and which process may preferably be a common process
related to a path control
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system and to a toll charging center; wherein, a non source identifying path
controlled trip related
characteristic is used in common by a toll charging unit and a DNA, preferably
before and during a trip,
and wherein the trip related characteristic is constructed of a number or
characters, or a combination of
both of them; and wherein, generation of the trip related characteristic is
performed according to some
embodiments preferably by the trip authentication process, and preferably as
part of a request for a path
controlled trip; and wherein according to some embodiments authentication is
based on reception of the
trip related characteristic by the DNA and by the toll charging unit
independently under the control of a toll
center related trip authentication process by an acceptable independence.
Independence according to some embodiments may be implemented by using
independent
communication channels by the DNA and by the toll charging unit, or by at
least acceptably independent
applications using a common communication channel with the trip authentication
process. Independent
reception of a common trip related characteristic may enable to check by a
toll charging unit authenticated
data received by the toll charging unit from a DNA, such as trip related
positions associated with authentic
trip related characteristic which is common to the DNA and to the respective
toll charging unit that serve a
path controlled trip.
According to some embodiments, a trip related characteristic may be generated
by a DNA related
process or by the toll charging unit related process and be transferred for an
authentication of common path
controlled trip data, from one to the other, through an authorized trip
authentication process.
According to some embodiments, in order to facilitate a trip comparison
process, time synchronized
positions can be taken by a toll charging unit and by a path controlled DNA
application during a trip,
wherein synchronization can be made according to predetermined procedure which
facilitates common
positioning for a trip comparison process. A Global Navigation Satellite
System receiver, such as a GPS
receiver, can be used as a common positioning and timing source for the DNA
application and for the toll
charging unit. In some embodiments, synchronization can be made between a DNA
application and a toll
charging unit, by using a common positioning means such as a GPS receiver
installed in a toll charging
unit, in order to reduce positioning and timing ambiguity.
According to some embodiments, predetermined location based records of
positions, for the
comparison, may be generated by a process which guarantees higher match
between the records, wherein
predetermined positions on a road map are used to determine locations for
positioning records on a road
map, which is available to the path controlled DNA application and to a toll
charging unit application, and
which positions and respective times are recorded as a result of passing a
predetermined position during a
trip.
With such an approach, differences in positions that characterize trips by a
toll charging unit and
positions that characterize path controlled trips by a DNA, will not be an
issue with the trip comparison
process. In this respect the differences in timing of trip positioning records
might also not be an issue if it
is assumed that the positions were recorded within a time interval that allows
differences which may have
no effect on ability to accept that the compared trips by the trip comparison
process refer to the same trip.
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According to some embodiments, privacy preservation of trips associated with
toll charging
procedure can take benefit of a road map wherein access to the map is
available to a toll charging unit.
According to some embodiments, a road map, which may or may not include the
positioning records with
respective attributes of predetermined locations, may include updated
attributes for time dependent toll
charging values assigned to roads. Updates may be applied either by access to
such common data on a
remote server or by receiving such respective data.
According to some embodiments, such charging values may enable on board (in
vehicle)
calculation of toll charge amount per trip, preferably by a toll charging unit
which is authorized to convert
records of positions that characterize trips - into a toll charging amount,
according to a road map having
attributes of charging values for passing roads or road segments, for example
according to daily time
intervals.
According to some embodiments, the attributes of charging values may enable to
use different
charge values for different hours and for different roads used during a trip.
In this respect said different
types of trips may refer to trips or part of trips that followed assigned path
to path controlled trip and trips
that were not using or were not following paths assigned to path controlled
trips.
According to some embodiments, the road map and respective updates are
received by the toll
charging unit, for example, by reading updates from a remote database server
which may be part of the toll
charging center, for example, directly through communication means of the toll
charging unit, or, for
example, indirectly through Bluetooth which communicates with a Smartphone and
which Smartphone
communicates with a database server.
According to some embodiments, after determination of the accumulated amount
of the toll charge,
by a toll charging unit, the amount will be transmitted to the toll charging
center according to a
predetermined procedure which identifies the car but does not have to expose
trip details while enabling
toll charging. Such privacy preservation may support toll charging in case of
toll discount and/or charging
toll of non path controlled trips used to encourage path controlled trips,
including cases of charging toll
without relation to free of charge path controlled trips or discount for path
controlled trips.
In this respect, with path controlled trips which are aimed at providing free
of charge service, there
is no reason to disclose the sources of trip related data, and therefore, the
service needs no special privacy
preservation technique to handle personal trip related positions and
destination data. However, in case that
path controlled trips are encouraged to be used by toll discount or free of
charge toll, according to trips, a
privacy preservation technique is required in order to prevent reluctance of
usage of path controlled trips
which negatively affect path control performance. Therefore, disclosure of
trip related data, which is
considered to be associated with a toll charge transaction should be avoided,
even though such data may be
encrypted, and the said privacy preserving toll charging may assure the
nondisclosure of trip related data.
Free of charge toll or toll discount, provided with path controlled trip
usage, may need legal
enforcement means in order to guarantee high path controlled trips usage.
According to some embodiments,
a GNSS tolling system based on car number plate identification (using
Automatic Number Plate
Recognition ¨ ANRP) may be used to transfer time related location of
identified vehicle to for example a
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toll charging center. According to time related car number plate
identification, interaction with a respective
toll charging unit may be activated for example by a toll charging unit,
wherein such activation may at least
determine whether a toll charging unit was active in the identified vehicle at
the time the car plate
identification was activated. If the result is that the toll charging unit was
active at that time, then according
to the toll charging policy associated with the use of toll charging unit may
be activated at any time
determined by the system according to respective policies. If the result is
that there was no response from
a toll charging unit, or there is no associated toll charging unit within the
identified vehicle, then a toll
charge enforcement procedure may be activated, enabling a further possible
procedure that should exclude
enforced toll charging in case of a failure to interact with a toll charging
unit for which the charged driver
has no responsibility.
According to some embodiments, a GNSS tolling system based on car number plate
identification
may be deployed for some of the roads, that is, not all roads on a network may
be monitored by such
infrastructure, in order to reduce cost of infrastructure which may relate for
example to roadside
infrastructure. With such limited coverage approach enforced toll may still be
effective if high toll charge
is applied to discourage non path controlled trips while encouraging path
controlled trips by free of charge
toll or toll discount with the support of a complementary toll charging unit.
According to some embodiments, said toll enforcement, as well as path
controlled trip usage toll
privileges with privacy preserving toll charging functionalities described
with vehicular toll charging unit,
may upgrade a GNSS toll charging system to include such functionalities
wherein GNSS positioning may
be substituted by sensor localization on a map in case of for example
autonomous vehicles. According
to some embodiments, DSRC system can be used to perform interaction with a
toll charging unit if DSRC
in car units are used by cars to communicate between a toll charging center
and toll charging units.
According to some embodiments, in case that two way communication DSRC usage
is mandatory
according to regulation then DSRC may provide a substitution to car plate
identification functionality as
described above. Privacy preserving path control, supported by privacy
preserving free of charge toll or toll
discount, may reduce reluctance to use path controlled trips and as a result
high usage of path controlled
trips which is expected to be developed, may enable to generate high degrees
of freedom and to apply
efficient network traffic load balancing being supported by:
a. Improved traffic mapping constructed by enriched anonymous position related
data tracking of
vehicles during their trips which may according to some embodiments feed, for
example, a traffic
mapping process within a path control system or, for example, a traffic
mapping process within a
functionality of a path control system which for example upgrades a driving
navigation system
platform, or a traffic mapping process within an external traffic mapping
means which serves a
path control system or a said functionality of path control system, wherein
external traffic mapping
means may include a traffic mapping process within a driving navigation system
platform or within
a toll charging center, which may feed a path control system or a path control
system functionality
with mapped traffic, and wherein the source of positions related data may be a
toll charging units,
or a functionality of a toll charging unit which upgrades said vehicular
platforms, and/or a DNA or
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a functionality of DNA integrated within a vehicular system platform such as
an autonomous
vehicle control platform and/or in-car entertainment system which may include
functionalities such
as for example a DNA and/or in-car wireless communication such as LAN and/or
Internet
connectivity and/or vehicle diagnostics control, or a DNA application on
Smartphone, and/or a
Smartphone (independent of a DNA application), and/or said vehicular platforms
which can be
upgraded by toll charging unit functionality, and/or said upgraded vehicular
platforms with toll
charging unit functionality. According to some embodiments, anonymous position
related data are
transmitted from toll charging units to a path control system, According to
some embodiments,
anonymous position related data are transmitted from toll charging units to a
mapping means which
serves a path control system. According to some embodiments, anonymous
position related data
are transmitted from DNA to a path control system, According to some
embodiments, anonymous
position related data are transmitted from DNA to a mapping means which serves
a path control
system. According to some embodiments anonymous position related data are
received by a path
control system from a driving navigation service platform or from any system
which serves either
said vehicular platforms or said upgraded vehicular platforms or from both
systems.
b. Improved DTA based synthesized traffic predictions, using enriched
anonymous position to
destination data as demand pairs of trips, which enables the DTA to feed
substantially at real time
enriched authentic trip events to the DTA supply model and which enables a
demand prediction
model to be fed by enriched authentic current and past events to feed by
predicted trip events the
DTA supply model to synthesize traffic related predictions. The source for
positions and
destinations related data may be toll charging units or a functionality of a
toll charging unit which
upgrades said vehicular platforms, and/or DNA, and/or a functionality of DNA
integrated within a
vehicular system platform such as an autonomous vehicle control platform
and/or in-car
entertainment system of a connected car, and/or in-dash DNA and/or a DNA
applications on smart
phones, and/or a Smartphone (independent of a DNA application), and/or said
vehicular platforms
which can be upgraded by toll charging unit functionality and which a toll
changing unit is fed by
trip destination originated for example with the support of a DNA and
transmitted to a toll charging
unit or to a toll charging unit functionality. According to some embodiments,
anonymous trip
related position and destination data are transmitted from toll charging units
to a path control
system. According to some embodiments, anonymous trip related position and
destination data are
transmitted from toll charging units to a mapping means which serves a path
control system.
According to some embodiments, anonymous trip related position and destination
data are
transmitted from DNA to a path control system, According to some embodiments
anonymous trip
related position and destination data are received by a path control system
from a driving navigation
service platform or from a system which serves said upgraded vehicular
platforms.
Privacy preserving path control, supported by privacy preserving free of
charge toll or toll discount,
may reduce reluctance to apply and use path controlled trips usage and may
therefore enable to generate
high usage of path controlled trips, which with said improved traffic mapping
and traffic prediction provide
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good conditions for high performance traffic load balancing. Performance of
traffic load balancing has
direct and indirect aspects. That is, traffic load balancing (which may refer
also to the term load balancing)
performed by a path control system, in case that path controlled trips are
taking only a share in the trips on
the network, contributes indirectly to the improvement of the entire traffic
on a road network. To be more
precise, even with a small percentage of usage of path controlled trips on the
network it should be expected
that the contribution of path control to aggregated travel time saving on the
network will be significant. In
such conditions, the majority of the aggregated travel time savings is
expected to be a result of travel time
savings to trips which are not using path control, although the travel time
savings to the minority of the
trips which are using path control is typically higher. Nevertheless, the
increase in the share of path
controlled trips usage on the network, which increases the performance of path
control usage to all trips,
should be the objective of a high performance enabled path control. In this
respect, in one example, a system
and method of path control may be considered from a wide perspective, which
preferably includes the
following aspects.
An operational aspect may refer to:
An objective to create motivation to use path controlled trips, that is, to
create conditions
for potential maximization of path control performance on the network which
enables to take
benefit of the highest degrees of freedom to utilize the network potential in
order to serve demand
of trips on a network with the highest traffic flow.
According to some embodiments, the objective is obtained by a "carrot and
stick" approach
which uses toll charge discounts or free of charge toll to motivate usage of
path controlled trips.
In this respect, free of charge toll, which is provided as a privilege to
motivate path
controlled trips usage, may justify an objective to improve traffic flow at a
first stage, before a need
to dilute traffic by toll; whereas, toll discount, provided as a privilege to
motivate usage of path
controlled trips, may be justified for a second stage in which reducing
motivation to generate trips
on the network, or on parts of it, is added.
In some embodiments, free of charge toll is implemented for improving traffic
as means
to motivate high path control usage even though toll charging means did not
exist prior to the
implementation of path control.
According such embodiments, methods and system described above and hereinafter
may
be used as free of charge toll to motivate path control usage. According to
another embodiment,
methods and system described above may be used with toll discount charges to
motivate path
control usage.
Another complementary objective to the objective to obtain efficient usage of
a road
network, by high usage of path controlled trips, is safe driving; wherein high
density of usage of
cooperative safe driving apparatus may generate robust safe driving at a stage
when autonomous
vehicles become mature.
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In this respect, an approach which may shorten the time to obtain both
objectives may
preferably apply provision of privileges to usage of cooperative safe driving
apparatus as an
expansion to a system and methods which may encourage high usage of path
controlled trips for
example by free of charge toll of toll discount. At such a stage, provision of
privileges may
discriminate among usage safe driving apparatus, path controlled trips or
both.
Acceptance aspect to facilitate operation aspects may refer to:
In some embodiments, privacy preserving path control which need not identify
the served
vehicle by authentic data, and privacy preserving toll charge which may use
systems and methods
as described above that hide trip related data, may be used to facilitate
acceptance of at least the
first stage for traffic improvement by path controlled trips.
In some embodiments, privacy preserving path control on trips and privacy
preserving toll
charge, which may use systems and methods as described above, are used to
facilitate acceptance
of the second stage for traffic improvement by path controlled trips.
Additional acceptance aspect refers to fairness in providing path controlled
trip
recommendations, which is further described in some embodiments.
Another acceptance aspect refers to a preference of saving the need for
drivers to change
driving navigation service platform for using path control. Further to the non
convenience issue
involved with a change, there is a conflict issue with current services to DNA
which already have
invested in creating wide installed base of DNA users and may be interested to
keep their share in
the market. Therefore, in some embodiments, path control is provided as an
upgrade on top of one
or more available services providing driving routes to driving navigation
aids, wherein path
controlled trips or corrected paths to routes planed by a driving navigation
system service according
to path control, are provided by a path control system to a driving navigation
system service which
serves the driving navigation aids with driving routes and are transmitted by
the driving navigation
system service to driving navigation aids.
In some embodiments, the ability to provide path control service as an upgrade
to a third
party, such as a commercial service provider which serves driving navigation
aids with driving
routes, and which may claim that routes which may be required to be
transmitted to a path control
system, even though anonymously, are exposing information that may be
associated with
complementary data which may enable to identify a requesting source for path
controlled trip, and
hence may not be accepted by DNA users. Such claims can be countered by means
which are
described in the following. The first means is to provide an awareness notice
to path control user
which explains that the issue is a far-fetched issue and privacy preservation
is kept. Awareness
procedure may include confirmation for awareness acceptance. Awareness and
acceptance
confirmation may be applied either through a DNA application which is served
by path control, or
through an entry to path control application that activates a third party DNA
application, for
example, an application installed on a Smartphone or on in dashboard DNA.
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In some embodiments, authentication of data associated with a toll charging
unit may be
confirmed by, for example, a checking procedure between a toll charging center
and a toll charging
unit which enables the toll charging center to be aware of whether an
installed toll charging unit is
still effective. Installation removal may be protected by, for example,
monitoring non removal of
the toll charging unit by remote sampling of the toll changing unit.
In some embodiments, authentication of a toll charging unit may use vehicle
identification
number that can be read through on board diagnostic connector of a vehicle and
be transmitted
along with toll charging procedures as related data to a toll charging center.
In some embodiments, disconnecting of a toll charging unit from on board
diagnostic
connector of a vehicle may be recorded on the memory of the toll charging
unit, to provide
indication on the need to reconfirm authorized use of the toll charging unit
by, for example, sending
a message to a toll charging center and/or to the driver through Bluetooth
communication to a
mobile application on a Smartphone or to an in dash DNA application or through
any of said
vehicular platforms upgraded by functionality of a toll charging unit.
In some embodiments, reconfirmation can be performed by first reading a record
of
mileage of a vehicle from the toll charging unit, which can be initialized
with an installation of a
toll charging unit by an authorized entity according the mileage of the
vehicle and maintained by
the toll charging unit during trips. After a reading, a comparison between the
toll charging mileage
record and the current mileage of the vehicle is performed and if no
difference or small difference
within allowed range is found then the toll charging unit may be re-authorized
preferably without
any further intervention. According to some embodiments, the comparison is
made by reading car
mileage into the toll charging unit through the on board diagnostic connector,
or according to other
embodiments the comparison is made visually by an authorized entity.
According to some embodiments, methods which are used to satisfy an authority
or an
insurance company for authentication of data on a black box or a green box can
be used for the
authentication of data which serves a toll charging unit or a said vehicular
platform upgraded by
functionality of a toll charging unit.
In some embodiments, privacy preserving checking of a bill which is related to
details of
trips can be applied upon privacy preserving toll charging. According to some
embodiments, for a
determined period of time, the toll charging unit will keep the trips and
charging details stored on
its memory, wherein such details can be available to be read, for example, by
a Smartphone or by
in-dash DNA through Bluetooth communication between the Smartphone or in-dash
DNA and a
toll charging unit. With such access to charging details, and possibly
according to a printed version
of such details, an appeal can be submitted for a non accepted bill. According
to some other
embodiments, a toll charging unit functionality on a said upgraded vehicular
platform enables to
preserve privacy of trips records performed by toll charging unit
functionality for a cost of elements
which prevent remote access to trip data related to toll charging unit
functionality or at least when
it is not allowed by the keeper of privacy preserved trips related data.
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Control technology related aspects may refer to:
A system and method which preferably apply a concept of predictive path
control that
coordinates paths of trips on a network to exploit freedom degrees on the
network enabling to
improve and preferably maximize traffic on the network, and which coordination
of paths is
supported by synthesis of controlled traffic predictions, preferably by DTA
simulations performed
according to planned paths associated with the coordination. These
technological aspects should
preferably be complemented by prior mentioned aspects which refer to the
operational and
acceptance aspects in order to enable to maximize performance of predictive
path control.
In this respect high acceptance of operational aspects, may enable to generate
high level
degrees of freedom on the network for predictive path control, which
coordinates paths, and which
increases the performance of the path control due to high usage of path
controlled trips.
High acceptance of an operation, applying predictive path control, has a major
effect on
the control efficiency which is beyond the ability to achieve higher control
on the traffic, and which
refers to the ability to enrich traffic and trip demand information which may
enable more robust
control due to reduction of errors in the mapping of the traffic conditions
and the ability to support
real time (on line) calibration of DTA if non full acceptance (usage) is
applicable. In this respect
the higher the percentage of path control usage the higher is the quality of
predictive path control
that can be obtained.
In some embodiments, demand of trips and possibly also parameters of the
supply model
of a DTA simulator are estimated respectively by/for DTA based predictions,
for example, by state
estimation method in which the DTA demand prediction model acts as a process
model within the
state estimation and the DTA supply model acts as the measurement model,
wherein the state vector
(hidden variables) of a state estimation method is the demand of trips
represented by zone to zone
(position to destination related zones) pairs. Furthermore, due to an increase
in the domination of
path controlled trips in the traffic, as a result of an increase in predictive
path control usage, the
dependency on stochastic route choice models, used by a DTA supply model, is
reduced.
According to some embodiments, a method and a system which may be used for
coordinating paths
on the network should preferably have an ability to generate and maintain
traffic load balancing on the
network, by utilizing current and predicted degrees of freedom on the network.
Preferably such a method
and a system apply distributed computation with calculation processes to
coordinate paths associated with
path controlled trips, to guide drivers and/or to guide autonomous vehicles on
a road network by driving
navigation aids.
Such a method and a system, in order to be efficient, should encourage high
percentage of usage
of path controlled trips on a network, while path recommendations should
preferably be provided on a fair
basis, that is, taking into consideration that sets of paths which are planned
intentionally to affect
unfavorably on travel time of a trip, or travel times of part of trips, for
the benefit of improving average trip
times on the network, may discourage potential participation in such a path
control service. Therefore, a
coordination method should apply fairness constraint in order to enable wide
acceptance, that is, from a
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point of view of drivers (and passengers) the interest of one driver should a-
priori not be compromised for
the benefit of others while cooperation may not be excluded with coordination
processes. According to
some embodiments, a path control method which enables to satisfy fairness, and
at the same time to improve
traffic flow on the network, can be applied by a system in which preferably
each of the controlled paths are
associated with a computerized agent process which maintains the interest
associated with individual path
controlled trip (hereinafter the term agent process may refer also to agent)
enabling each agent to act
according to common acceptable rules. According to some embodiments, parallel
computation by agent
processes is applied on a path control system, for example, a said path
planning layer supported by a said
traffic prediction layer, wherein each of the agents may according to a
predetermined simplified procedure
receive or have access to predictive path control related data which include
but not limited to:
a. Destination and time dependent position pair for one or more path
controlled trips,
b. Feedbacks on potential time related effects associated with substantial
simultaneous planning of a
set of paths by a plurality of agents, which refer to time related travel
times and respective traffic
volume to capacity ratios, and according to some embodiments to prioritized
relatively loaded
links,
c. Criteria to calculate a path according to the feedbacks,
d. Criteria to accept calculated path,
e. Criteria to assign an accepted path to a path control trip,
f. Schedule to maintain simultaneous, or substantially simultaneous,
calculations by an agent with
other agents.
The concept of applying fairness in coordinated path assignments for load
balancing on the
network, may preferably allow, under control, greedy as well as cooperative
calculation of paths by agents
according to the stage of the trip and the stage of the path control.
Preferably simultaneous attempts to improve travel times by agents according
to developing
freedom degrees on the network should be allowed from fairness point of view;
as well as simultaneous
attempts to mitigate potential negative effects on network links, due to said
fairness consideration, should
also be allowed; wherein both or at least the mitigation processes should be
applied under control.
According to some embodiments, a cooperative process, which is aimed at
enabling a gradual
mitigation of potential overloads due to potential negative effects of planned
path on the network, should
also enable fairness considerations but with such a process fairness may be
considered from a point of view
of the result of convergence of the set of paths to apply load balance or at
least to apply a more balanced
traffic.
With such approach, tight path control may enable to maintain coordination of
paths which apply
both fairness and load balance on the network.
Coordination control processes which are aimed at converging the traffic
toward substantial load
balance may include but not be limited to: synchronization of processes
preferably applied by distributed
computation performed by agents to plan sets of coordinated paths, traffic
prediction feedbacks to evaluate
effects of planned sets of paths ,traffic mapping, on-line calibration of a
traffic simulation platform (DTA)
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according to the traffic mapping, coordination of input and output processes
required with the planning of
sets of paths for path-controlled trips.
According to some embodiments, agents may be applied as hardware to accelerate
path
calculations.
According to some embodiments, part or all path calculations are performed by
agents installed on
a DNA and which respective coordination control processes communicates with
such driving navigation
aids through for example mobile Internet.
According to some embodiments, coordination control processes, under limited
computation
power, are load balancing control processes applying dynamic identification of
relatively loaded links
having high potential to negatively contribute to load balance according to
current and controlled traffic
predictions, and accordingly may further determine current highest priority
links for gradual load balancing
on a network, and which such links are referred to as relatively loaded links
stored as a content of a load
balancing priority layer.
Such a layer, may support gradual load balancing by coordination control
processes, for example,
as part of a path planning system layer supported by the traffic prediction
layer, and may be updated by
currently anticipated relatively loaded links which may have potential
negative effect on the load balancing.
Relatively loaded links associated with load balancing priority layer enable
to substantially
synchronize planning of paths for gradual load balancing of traffic which
determination of relatively loaded
links may include static and dynamic determination.
Static determination may refer to virtual determination of links as relatively
loaded links, which
links may not necessarily be loaded by traffic, wherein the aim of
determination of such links as relatively
loaded links should be a need to exclude links from network resources on which
traffic load balancing is
applied. Moreover, such links if are becoming relatively loaded links they
should preferably be diluted as
part of the load balancing. Such links may refer to network links on which
traffic load balancing may, for
example, disturb quality of life such as living or business defined areas and
from which, as part of load
balancing, traffic should be diverted to a part of a network on which load
balancing is applied.
Dynamic determination of such links may be required under limited computation
resources to
apply, according some embodiments, gradual traffic load balancing on the
network or part of the network
on which load balancing is applied, and/or, according to some embodiments, to
apply dynamic constraints
on network links according to which traffic is diverted from relatively low
capacity links towards a part of
the network on which traffic is or planned to be concentrated for load
balancing, as further elaborated.
In this respect, under non-recurrent, or under exceptional traffic conditions,
for which computation
resources of the coordination control processes are insufficient,
determination of prioritized relatively
loaded links in a load balancing priority layer may enable not to lose control
on maintaining convergence
toward load balance although the load balancing is less tight in such cases.
Examples of causes for which prioritization of relatively loaded links should
preferably be used
are: traffic development which may relate to an exceptional demand of trips
(football game event etc,)
and/or incident(s), and/or a situation that creates a need to evacuate or to
dilute traffic on a link or on a
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certain part of a network, and/or any other high change in the dynamics of the
traffic for which the given
computation resources may be too weak to apply sufficient control on traffic
load balancing, for example,
by predictive coordinating path control system applying load balancing control
processes associated with
coordination control processes.
According to embodiments which is adaptive to dynamic constraints according to
which the load
balancing is dynamically concentrated on parts of a network, while traffic is
diluted from less preferred
links, substantial robust traffic load balance may be maintained under limited
computation resources for
large dynamic range of traffic dynamics and loads on the network.
According to some embodiments, indication for a need to apply dynamic
concentration of traffic
may be an identified reduction, or identified anticipated reduction, in
control on the traffic load balance
which has but may not afford required frequency of control steps
(cycles/phases or iterations/sub-phases)
to generate or maintain substantial load balance on the network. In such a
case, priority may be given,
preferably temporarily, to coordination control processes on links having
relatively high flow capacity
potential on the network by diluting the non load balanced part of a network
and concentrating the traffic
on relatively high flow capacity links on the network.
According to some embodiment, an indication of inability to apply required
frequency of control
steps may be provided by evaluating updated data about the overall current and
preferably also respective
anticipated relatively loaded links on the network (not just links associated
with the load balancing priority
layer) during the load balancing. In this respect, if there is no decrease, or
there is insufficient decrease, or
otherwise an increase in the number and/or in the level of load associated
with overall relatively loaded
links, then, preferably according to a match with stored data, respective
constraint is determined for
desirable concentration of the traffic flow on restricted part of preferred
links on the network.
A said match with stored data may refer to a match between time related
patterns of traffic volume
to capacity ratios of the current, and preferably respective recent and
predicted traffic on links of the
network, and time related stored data of traffic scenarios which contain
patterns of traffic volume to
capacity ratios on links of the network associated with stored desirable
concentration of traffic on the
network.
According to identification of an increase or insufficient decrease in overall
relatively loaded links
during coordination control processes, a search for a said match of current
patterns with stored patterns may
indicate on transition to desirable flow concentration on the network. A match
may be performed between
a single pattern or preferably a set of patterns that represent the traffic
dynamics and stored patterns
associated with respective recommended concentration of traffic flow. The
stored data may be constructed
by off-line simulations of coordination control processes that may prepare
storage of desirable
concentrations of the flow for certain patterns. The higher the resolution of
the traffic simulation scenarios
the richer is the storage, and the higher is the efficiency of such a method.
In this respect, the increase in
the resolution among the different scenarios of patterns may enable to find a
closer match with the current
pattern or a current set of patterns.
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Such a method may be applied further for traffic development that allows to
reduce limitations on
the concentration of the traffic on the network with respect to computation
resources which method applies
coordination control processes under sufficient increase in the stability of
load balance. In this respect, the
search for a match will be due to, for example, identified reduction in the
number, and preferably the level,
of overall relatively loaded links on the network. Such identification may be
performed for example by
tracking and comparing, along recent coordination control processes, the
dynamics in the patterns of overall
relatively loaded links.
In this respect, stored patterns that are indicating on traffic dynamics,
which allow increase in the
number of preferred links associated with reduction in the traffic
concentration, may be prepared by off-
line computer simulations applying coordination control processes for
different dynamics in traffic.
The update of a storage with respect to relation between different dynamics in
traffic and desirable
use of a part of a network, preferably according to time intervals during a
day, may be triggered by real
time identified situations which may require off-line simulation to support
future real time similar situations
according to which the same or similar change in the concentration of the
traffic on a part of a network
may enable acceptable anticipated improvement in coordination control
processes.
In this respect, the update of the storage is a sort of a learning process
which may progressively
include more scenarios in said storage, and therefore it is expected that the
said storage will be searched for
a match that may sufficiently be acceptable according to similar
characteristics of traffic, and which search
for a match does not compel to find a full match if there is no such
possibility. Thus, due to some ambiguity
in a match, different real time scenarios may share a common acceptable match
to determine preferred
concentration of traffic on part of the links of a network.
A new load balancing priority layer should be re-determined after
determination of preferred links
on the network on which traffic should preferably be concentrated and load
balanced by coordination
control processes.
As mentioned before, the objective of dynamic increase or decrease in traffic
concentration on a
network is to enable optimal usage of the computation resources for acceptable
control on the load
balancing. Such control should preferably maintain at the worst case short-
term reaction to the main flow,
by accelerating the convergence to substantial load balance on preferred part
of the network, preferably on
links that have relatively high traffic flow potential, and diverting traffic
to such links if there are no further
restrictions (e.g., a destination of a vehicle on a non preferred link).
After obtaining substantial load balance on preferred links, the level of
traffic concentration may
be reduced to include, or gradually include, more preferred links (converted
from non-preferred to preferred
links) in order to enable traffic load balancing on a higher network
resolution for further exploitation of the
network by coordination control processes.
According to some embodiments, according to which dynamic constraints on the
controlled
network are considered, more effective control cycle (i.e., phase) or a
control iteration (i.e., sub-phase) may
be applied by coordination control processes for a cost of less effective
usage of the network from time to
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time. In this respect, more effective control is a result of the ability to
apply smaller effect of control steps
(cycles/phases or iteration/sub-phase) with a non linear system (modeled by a
DTA supply model).
However, the potential attractiveness of load balance, or acceptable load
balance, which may be
expected from load balancing, and which should attract obedience to the path-
controlled trips, could be lost
under a constraint to apply load balancing on a part of a network. In this
respect, diluted non-preferred links
on the network may result in non obedience to paths of path controlled trips
on the load balanced part of
the network due to freedom degrees which are developing on another part of the
network.
Nevertheless, the incentive to use path controlled trips due to privileges
such as free of charge toll
or toll discount, which according to some embodiments may be applied for
substantially the entire network,
and the objective to maximize usage of the network with a tendency to converge
to load balance under
reasonable control constraints, may maintain high obedience to controlled
paths assigned to vehicles
according to coordination control processes by applying negative incentive
associated with the free of
charge toll or toll discount on non preferred links on the network. In this
respect free of charge toll or toll
discount will not be provided on said non preferred links on the network.
With such approach, a pure commercial solution may not applicable for
efficient implementation
of load balancing, which should be associated with negative incentives of non
privileged tolling on said
non preferred links and which efficient load balancing requires regulation
with respect to the negative
incentives to be applied on non load balanced part of the network. Such
approach which is associated with
negative incentives may further be expanded to determine non-preferred links
associated with dynamic
needs to handle traffic under exceptional conditions which, for example, may
include a need to dilute traffic
or even to evacuate traffic from links or regions in which there is a danger
or, for example, a need to enable
rapid access of emergency vehicles.
Under privileged tolling, according to some embodiments, coordination control
processes are
gradually applied for increasing percentage of usage of coordinating path
controlled trips in the traffic, for
example, in order to enable adaptation of freedom degrees applied with
coordination control processes to
ratios of time related demand to traffic supply on the network.
In this respect, gradual calibration of freedom degrees may include for
example said dynamic
assignment of preferred links as well as a need to cope with shortening the
convergence time of coordination
control processes by consideration of insufficiently small but still effective
control steps which have non
linear effect on the network.
An issue in this respect may refer to non linear varying travel times on links
as a result of varying
volume to capacity ratios on different links having different lengths and
different capacities that under
coordination control processes should enable convergence toward load balance
with respect to fair
assignment of paths enabling to arrive to destinations through different
alternatives (due to the need to
obtain substantial load balance) according to coordination of path-controlled
trips subject to some
differentiating effect due to given limitations on the control.
Adding to such an issue non-linear effect of merger of traffic among such
links, makes the issue to
be worse with respect to potential instability in the process which should
enable convergence towards load
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balance. Instability may include substantially stable oscillations and non-
stable oscillations such as
propagated and increasing oscillations on the network with respect to
calculated paths, and for which,
according to some embodiments, forced traffic distribution and refinements to
control steps are applied for
acceptable level of non oscillating calculated paths or otherwise for non
acceptable oscillation of potential
relatively loaded links on the network.
During gradual increase in the usage of said coordinating path controlled
trips, the percentage of
non coordinated trips may preferably be guided according to path controlled
trips which reflect route choice
behavior model in a pre-coordinated traffic stage, preferably reflecting a
typical set of routes which are
possibly chosen from a calibrated stochastic DTA route choice model. The use
of the typical set of routes
may enable acceptance of such approach and may guarantee robust traffic
predictions based on predictive
path assignments, wherein coordinating and non coordinating paths may be
assigned randomly to path
controlled trip users in order to maintain fairness in the type of the
assignment along the time while
maintaining a certain percentage of coordinating path controlled trips in the
traffic.
According to some embodiments, in order to enable obedience to path control in
a preliminary
stage in which a certain percentage of coordinating path controlled trips is
maintained, obedience may be
encouraged by entitling all path controlled trips with the same privilege,
that is, provision of free of charge
toll or toll discount, even though not all the controlled trips are
coordinating path controlled trips. In this
respect the negative incentive associated with free of charge toll or toll
discount may guarantee the
obedience to any type of path associated with path controlled trip, and a said
random assignment of
coordinating and non coordinating path controlled trips may enable to maintain
fairness in the assignment.
In this respect it should be noted that significant indirect improvement in
travel time is expected to
be gained by the non coordinating path controlled trips through even small
percentage of coordinating path
controlled trips on the network.
According to some embodiments, said negative incentive associated with free of
charge toll or toll
discount privileges is applied by preventing to obtain privilege for trip if
the trip uses said non preferred
links, that is, for example, when a non coordinating or coordinating path
controlled trip by-passes preferred
links on the network (on which traffic is concentrated or planned to be
concentrated) by passing through
non preferred links, if such links are not used by a trip as a destination.
According to some embodiments, an indication that a link is used as a
destination may be a stoppage
criterion which entitles a trip for a privilege, according to which a trip has
to stop for a minimum time
interval in order that a link will be considered as a destination. In other
words, indication about a stoppage
under such privilege constraint may exclude a trip from being considered as
passing through such links.
This may be applied by tracking the trip details (preferably supported by
privacy preserving privileged
tolling as described with some embodiments) and determining accordingly, by
for example a vehicular toll
charging unit functionality (described with some embodiments), whether non
preferred links were used as
a destination or not.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, privilege entitlement may be
applied by free of
charge toll or toll discount which includes a privilege entitling criterion
according to which traveling from
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preferred links to non preferred links and back to preferred links require
that a trip will be stopped for a
minimum predetermined time on non preferred links.
Concentration of traffic by diverting the traffic from a higher network
resolution to a lower network
resolution, that is, diverting traffic towards a preferred part of the
network, or vice-versa, may use
respectively an encouraging or a discouraging means with calculations and
assignments of paths.
In this respect, under increase in the level of a constraint to concentrate
traffic on parts of the links
of a network (on preferred links), a discouraging process may increase
synthetically the travel time entry
costs to non-preferred links from preferred links by a value that is higher
than the real travel time costs, in
order to dilute traffic on non preferred links by path planning processes
which may include coordination
control process for trips which pass through preferred links.
Under a decrease in the level of a constraint to concentrate traffic on the
network, an encouraging
process to use links which may become converted into preferred links (from non
preferred links) a decrease
in the travel time entry cost value for such links may be applied by assigning
real travel time costs or
gradually decreasing synthetic costs for calculation of paths, wherein gradual
change in the cost may enable
moderate entry to such links in order to prevent potential traffic overloads
during re-distribution of the
traffic. For example, at the beginning of a redistribution the travel time
costs can be lower in comparison
to travel time costs in a more advanced distribution stage, wherein the travel
time costs should converge to
the real costs at the end of the re-distribution, preferably towards
substantial load balance on preferred links.
With respect to a need to stabilize substantial load balance under reasonable
utilization of
computation power resources, there would preferably be a need to prevent
overload on computation
resources required to generate and maintain substantial load balance on
preferred links of a network.
According to some embodiments, this may be applied by not allowing changes in
path calculations,
due to small changes in travel time costs on the network, which for a small,
or for non-meaningful, benefit
may either overload the computation resources along convergence towards load
balance or under
substantial load balance conditions (by unacceptable frequent and marginally
benefiting calculation of
paths), or create a need for non justified computation resources for an
expected marginal benefit.
The non-desirable effect of small changes in travel time costs on calculation
of paths may be
reduced to an acceptable level, for example, by allowing discrete changes in
travel time costs on links. Such
discrete changes may be adapted to enable affordable computation resources to
cope with more stable and
less frequent path calculations that are still acceptable from cost
performance point of view.
According to some embodiments, said discrete travel time costs may preferably
refer to time
dependent travel time costs that include current and predicted travel time
costs, preferably according to
controllable DTA traffic predictions. In this respect, the proportion among
travel time costs on non-
preferred links, which may be modified to represent non real travel time costs
for calculation of paths,
should preferably maintain the proportion among links which real time costs
reflect, that is, enabling to
maitain the ability to apply path calculation and assignments for effective
paths to destinations on, and to,
non-preferred links according to time dependent travel time costs applied with
time dependent shortest path
calculations.
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This method should preferably be applied with said dynamic and static
assignment of non-preferred
or otherwise preferred links on the network.
According to some embodiments, a complementary method to a method which
prevents frequent
and non sufficiently stable changes in path assignments, by said discrete
changes in travel time costs, is
applied by assigning a calculated alternative path to a path controlled trip
under a path assignment criterion,
preferably an adaptable criterion according to traffic conditions, which
require that some minimum
potential reduction in travel time of a trip (improvement of a path assigned
to a trip) may be anticipated to
be obtained by the alternative path in order to justify a modification to an
assigned path associated with a
path controlled trip.
In this respect, an assigning criterion for making a modification to a path
according to calculated
alternative path may differ from a criterion to apply discrete levels for
travel times, and/or usage of further
described coordination control processes, in order to prevent too frequent
path calculations.
Consideration that may have to be taken into account with making modification
to an assigned path
may include, inter-alia, reaction time to a modification by human driver or by
an autonomously driven
vehicle, and/or human reaction to frequent changes to paths, as well as
sufficient sensitivity of path
assignment to generate traffic flow improvement on the network which should
sufficiently satisfy both,
users of coordinating path controlled trips and authorities that may be
expected to be involved in regulation
for applying such approach.
According to some embodiments, after obtaining substantial load balance under
a constraining
level that limits said preferred links on a network, the concentration of
traffic on part of the network may
be allowed as mentioned before to be reduced or eliminated by allowing more
links to be preferred links
on the network.
A reduction in a constraint level may be performed according to identification
of reduction in the
overall relatively loaded links and possibly also under conditions of
sufficient reduction in traffic loads in
order to prevent rapid changes that may cause loss of control. In this
respect, the control may divert traffic
to be distributed on the network at a higher level of flow, that is, to make
the traffic concentration on the
network for less dense traffic load balancing.
The transition from one level of traffic concentration on a network to another
level may depend on
acceptable level to control traffic load balancing, and should preferably
consider that transition from one
level of traffic concentration to another level may not take benefit of tight
load balance of a previous level,
and therefore, less than tight load balance may preferably applied if a
transition to less concentrated traffic
on the network is considered.
In this respect, the objective to increase the number of preferred links is to
improve the traffic flow,
if it becomes affordable by the computation resources, while the objective to
decrease the number of
preferred links is to guarantee acceptable control under high changes in
traffic dynamics.
According to some embodiments, transition from one concentration level to
another should be
sensitive to include anticipated time related positions of vehicles traveling
from non-preferred links towards
preferred links and vice-versa.
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In this respect, according to some embodiments, traffic simulations are
applied for a network which
includes the preferred and the non preferred links although from a point of
view of path calculations
coordination control processes may be applied on preferred links based on
predicted trip entries from non
preferred links.
Assuming that coordination control processes are performed continuously, from
early hours in the
morning until late hours in the evening (from substantial free flow to
substantial free flow conditions on
the network), it may be expected that said traffic concentration might be a
need if at all from time to time,
for example, due to significant changes in the traffic demand to supply ratios
or due to irregularities in the
traffic.
Without limitation to include more aspects, coordination control processes
applying load balancing,
under real time conditions, are expected to be performed daily on a continuous
base (from early hours in
the morning until late hours at the evening) with the aim to enable
convergence towards affordable load
balance for affordable part of the network under given computation resources
and affordable non
discriminating distribution of path controlled trips on the affordable part of
the network under given traffic
potential freedom degrees on the network and traffic control constraints.
Therefore, coordination of path controlled trips, may be designed to maintain
load balancing
without significant limitations. However, under non controllable
irregularities in the traffic or in the traffic
demand, the load balancing might face instability issues, Such issues may
include said oscillations in path
calculations due to competition on alternative paths and propagation of
oscillations to some other or
additional links on the network.
The issues may become worse, with respect to real time constraints for
convergence towards
substantial load balance, which a need for transition among different levels
of said traffic concentration on
the network makes the load balancing most demanding.
According to some embodiments the negative effects of such issues, either with
respect to transition
from one traffic concentration level to another or not, may be reduced by
upgrading said methods, according
to which sufficient level of match of current patterns with stored patterns of
volume to capacity ratio on
links may determine desirable concentration of the traffic on the network.
In this respect, the upgrade may include additional stored predictive control
data associated with
each stored traffic concentration level, which predictive control data refer
to stored historical data for a
similar demand and traffic distribution, for which sets of routes and possibly
also time dependent travel
time costs along a controlled horizon which may be used for preliminary
coordination control processes in
order to shorten traffic development towards a roughly desirable load balance
that may further be refined.
Refinements may be applied by coordination control cycles/phases or
iterations/sub-phases which are
further elaborated. Refinements may enable to overcome differences between the
desirable load balance
which may preferably be obtained according to current, recent and predicted
traffic development, and the
rough load balance which was obtained according to the respective stored
scenarios associated with
predictive control data.
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An upgraded method may be applied either for a transition of traffic to a
higher concentration level
from a lower concentration level or vice-versa. Preferably a traffic
concentration level is associated with a
plurality of predictive control data according to different traffic demand and
traffic distribution scenarios.
Such stored predictive control data may be constructed by off line traffic
simulation applying
coordination control processes under no real time constraints. Such data may
determine, inter-alia,
recommended paths according to current and predicted zones to zone and/or link
to link related position to
destination pairs, as well as possibly according to synthetic respective time
dependent travel time costs on
links which enable accelerating convergence towards load balance on a
respective part of a network.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, said historical synthetic time
dependent travel
time costs on links, may temporarily substitute real travel time costs and/or
predicted travel time costs for
path calculations associated with the transition towards desirable balanced
traffic on the respective part of
the network. This may further enable coordination control processes to
accelerate convergence towards
load balance by non-small affecting control steps (cycle/phase or
iteration/sub-phase) ,which otherwise
may negatively affect convergence towards load balance on a non linear system,
and which control steps
may be associated with the respective stored control data.
According to some embodiments, load balancing applied by gradual coordination
control processes
on a certain part of network links may determine the content of said load
balancing priority layer, which is
determined and updated by a load balancing priority layer update process,
according to the non balanced
level in a network subject to available computation power to apply
sufficiently frequent coordination
control processes for load balancing.
Hereinafter and above, if no clear difference between coordination control
processes and load
balancing control processes is specified, then both terms may have the same
meaning with respect to load
balancing, while in general load balancing control processes may have some
wider aspect which include
synchronization and communication means applied with coordination control
processes and which may be
relevant to implementation favor according to current and continuously
developing technologies for
distributed computation and communication.
A disadvantage associated with gradual load balancing for a certain part of a
network, which may
be applied in case of non sufficient computation resources to maintain load
balancing for certain
concentration level of traffic, is that it may be expected to apply less tight
load balance and less tight fairness
in the transition towards load balance.
Therefore, availability of sufficient computation power for load balancing
which may guarantee
faster and tighter convergence to network load balance and fairness in path
assignment for trips on a certain
part of load balance controlled network should preferably be applied.
High usage of path controlled trips may in this respect be the first step
towards reduction in highly
computation consuming on-line calibration of a high dimension, non linear,
stochastic and time varying
DTA based traffic simulation platforms, whereas the second step is to apply
prioritized relatively loaded
links with gradual load balancing which is further elaborated.
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With respect to the first step, when path control can't be applied to all or
almost all trips which
have freedom to use non specific route to their destination, computation power
and prediction accuracy
issues arise with a need to apply real time calibration of a DTA simulator. In
this respect the issue is not
just the DTA simulation run time for acceptable accuracy of models but also
the stochastic nature of the
route choice model within the supply model as mentioned before.
The issues and remedies to the issues are further elaborated in further
described embodiments,
wherein the preferred remedy is to avoid as much as possible the need to use
route choice model or at least
to minimize the share of a route choice model effect on the DTA simulation. In
this respect the increase in
the share of path controlled trips in the traffic, by for example methods to
motivate path controlled usage
as described above, provides a remedy for reducing the negative effect of a
route choice model on DTA
based traffic predictions for load balancing as well as enabling to increase
the accuracy of the demand for
trips by facilitating implementation of prescheduled path controlled trips as
described above.
With respect to said second step, under non sufficient computation resources,
gradual load
balancing for a certain part of the network may apply prioritized relatively
loaded links to be updated
dynamically in a load balancing priority layer. According to some embodiments,
the content of a load
balancing priority layer is preferably determined according to current and
predicted distribution of traffic
volume to capacity ratios on links, and preferably related to time dependent
ratios in acceptable forward
time intervals along a finite time horizon within a rolling horizon in order
to satisfy required gradual load
balancing performance.
In some embodiments, a finite time horizon may be divided into linear time
intervals for
determination of time dependent relatively loaded links and respectively
associated with a load balancing
priority layer according to priorities. According to another embodiment a
finite time horizon may be divided
into non linear time intervals, wherein short term time intervals within the
time horizon may be
discriminated according to short time intervals in comparison to longer term
time intervals in the time
horizon, which longer term time intervals may be discriminated for the same
level of confidence in
prediction as the short term intervals. The division of time horizon into time
intervals with respect to
relatively loaded links, that is, determination of time dependence resolution,
may or may not comply with
time dependence resolution applied with time dependent travel time costs for
path calculations according
to different embodiments.
According to some embodiments, discrimination among time intervals within a
predicted finite
time horizon is performed by a discrimination process which determines the
number of the time intervals
within the time horizon, and preferably the non linearity of the
discrimination as well. According to some
embodiments, the discrimination process may determine the number and the non
linear discrimination of
time intervals according to the dynamics of traffic in the prediction time
horizon, wherein, lower dynamics
may be satisfied by smaller number of time intervals in comparison to higher
number which may preferably
satisfy higher traffic dynamics.
Relatively loaded links, determined by the load balancing priority layer
update process and updated
in the load balancing priority layer for load balancing on a determined part
of a network (possibly as a result
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of concentration of load balanced traffic on a certain part of a network), may
according to some
embodiments be identified dynamically according to dynamic changes in tracked
predictions of traffic
volume to capacity ratios on network links, during coordination control
processes, preferably according to
computation power constraints.
Prioritized relatively loaded links in a load balancing priority layer may
enable to shorten the
convergence rate of coordination control processes for a cost which minimizes
predicted aggregated travel
times of simulated trips on the network at a lower level than can be obtained
if non limited computation
resources may be applied. Such compromise may be considered with coordination
control processes when
it is detected that the convergence is too long under real time constraints,
that is, there is no sufficient time
to apply sufficient number of coordination cycles/phases and/or coordination
iterations/sub-phases to detect
minimization of aggregated travel times of simulated trips under coordination
control processes applied for
a controlled time horizon.
Convergence can be shortened by increasing the limitation on relatively loaded
links to be included
in a load balancing priority layer, wherein the convergence rate should
preferably be gradually adapted in
order to minimize aggregated travel times by minimum limit on inclusion of
relatively loaded links in the
load balancing priority layer under given computation resources.
According to some embodiments, minimum aggregated travel time may be obtained
by a gradual
search for minimum limit on the content of relatively loaded links in a load
balancing priority layer.
With such a process, the determination of the content of relatively loaded
links in a load balancing
priority layer may dynamically be changed not just in terms of the number of
such links but also in terms
of the degree of the predicted traffic volume to capacity ratios on network
links. According to some
embodiments, the content of relatively loaded links in the load balancing
priority layer is dynamic with
respect to the lower limiting bound criteria to include relatively loaded
links.
According to some embodiments, evaluation of a need to stop lowering the
current lower bound
limiting criteria may include, further to the said detection of minimum
aggregated travel times of simulated
trips, a process to identify reduction in the difference between expected load
on links which were
determined as relatively loaded links for the content of load balancing
priority layer and links that were not
included in the layer due its lower bound criteria but starting to show
similar link loads due to convergence
of the load balancing.
Load balancing applying coordination control processes by load balancing
control processes, which
are aimed at distributing path controlled trips on a network, may be
categorized as model predictive control,
or more concretely model predictive path control, aimed to converge towards
substantial load balance on
the network.
As mentioned before, the potential efficiency of such approach depends on the
level of usage of
path controlled trips, that is, the higher the usage of path controlled trips
the higher is the potential to
improve the traffic.
Coordination control processes, as mentioned above, preferably apply control
cycles and iterations
with the planning of paths for coordinating path controlled trips. Iterations
may be applied as intra cycle
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iterations, that is, sub phases of a control cycle which are performed as
iterations aimed at coordinating
path controlled trips. Control cycles are applied to maintain non potentially
interfering attempts to improve
travel times for paths associated with path controlled trips while iterative
processes to coordinate path
control trips are applied, wherein potentially interfering attempts are
preferably allowed in the transition
from one cycle to another.
According to some embodiments, in case that cycles are not applied,
potentially interfering
attempts to improve travel times, due to new developing freedom degrees on the
network, should preferably
not be synchronized. For example, such attempts may be controlled by some a-
priori random discriminating
approach according to which the timing of attempts to improve travel times
involve random delays
associated possibly with further described embodiments.
A-priori discrimination, although it has lower implementation priority as
further described, is not
an approach which is aimed at applying discrimination in the assignment of
paths at the stage of
convergence but rather allows temporal priority to potential alternative paths
which may contribute to
higher reduction in travel times on the network which in turn contribute to
other traffic to gain benefit
indirectly, that is, to gain reduction in travel times before allowing lower
priority path controlled trips to
take benefit of freedom degrees developing on the network which in turn
contribute also indirectly to
reduction in travel times of other trips.
The coordination control processes which are aimed at planning predictive
coordinated sets of paths
for said coordinating path controlled trips, preferably maintain a-priori
acceptable level of non-
discriminating (fair) paths for path controlled trips preferably under a limit
that an alternative path to an
assigned path will not be expected to be a-priori a less preferred path, and
under further limits as further
described.
Coordination control processes are applying in this respect load balancing
which is beyond a
response of individual attempts to a feedback about the potential effect of
the attempts to improve travel
times of path controlled trips. In this respect, coordination is preferably
applied for high usage of path
controlled trips in the traffic on the network. The feedback which determines
time dependent traffic
volumes to capacity ratios on network links, and respectively time dependent
travel times, may support
gradual coordination of path controlled trips, wherein gradual coordination in
this respect may apply said
prioritized dynamic determination of highest priority relatively loaded links
in a load balancing priority
layer..
From a point of view of a driver or an autonomous vehicle, non discriminating
coordination control
processes, under said gradual or non gradual coordination, preferably include
as much as possible a-priori
allowance for simultaneous or substantially simultaneous independent attempts
to improve travel times as
a result of dynamically developing freedom degrees on the network and which
said freedom degrees may
include relatively developed freedom degrees due to irregularities in the
traffic.
Such attempts are preferably based, at first, on the potential of coordination
control processes to
simultaneously take benefit from developing freedom degrees on the network for
path controlled trips, and
then, applying an iterative processes to mitigate potential overloads due to
simultaneous attempts to
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improve travel times, that is, to mitigate potential relatively loaded links
which might divert the traffic from
load balance on the network, due to said simultaneous independent attempts to
improve travel times,
wherein iterative mitigation processes preferably apply simultaneous gradual
mitigation attempts to
accelerate mitigation.
Mitigation of potential relatively loaded links is required when a failure of
said attempts to improve
travel times for path controlled trips, according to developing freedom
degrees on the network along the
controlled time horizon, is detected, for example, by traffic prediction that
is based on a DTA prediction
which is fed by control paths associated with the attempts to improve travel
times.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, the determination of
relatively loaded links may
be performed under an iteration of a cycle of coordination control processes
by a comparison between:
a. time dependent traffic volumes to capacity ratios on network links along
the predicted time horizon,
which is determined by a DTA based traffic prediction fed by paths which
include:
1. current and predicted assigned paths associated with path controlled trips,
which are not associated
with non mitigated pending paths;
2. non-mitigated pending paths that may refer also to non mitigated paths,
which are determined as
paths associated with path controlled trips providing pending potential
alternatives, or pending
potential alternatives which are subject to be substituted by new alternatives
to current or predicted
assigned paths to path controlled trips, according to mitigation, and which
non mitigated paths may
be generated at the initialization of a cycle of coordination control
processes - due to independent
simultaneous attempts to improve travel times for current and predicted
assigned paths to current and
predicted path controlled trips by simultaneous searches for shortest paths
according to potential
reduction in time dependent travel time costs (developed by freedom degrees or
relatively freedom
degrees on the network), and as a result of the evaluation of the effect of
the simultaneous attempts
on travel time costs (along the controlled time horizon associated with
current cycle by a synthesis
of DTA traffic prediction fed by current and predicted paths associated with
said simultaneous
attempts and further by other current and predicted paths on the network which
may include but not
be limited to: current and predicted paths associated with path controlled
trips for which said attempts
were not performed, current and predicted route choice model based trips,
current and predicted non
coordinating path controlled trips) such paths may became a potential cause
for relatively loaded
links on the network, that is, paths which failed to provide acceptable
alternative to assigned paths
associated with path controlled trips and determined in terms of potential
mitigation as non mitigated
pending paths, and which such paths, with respect to prior iteration(s), are
paths that failed to be
passively mitigated (accepted as an alternative to path associated with
respective path controlled trip)
by prior iteration(s) of mitigation (due to active mitigation which may
convert other non-mitigated
pending paths to new acceptable alternatives and which such alternatives have
in common with the
passively non mitigated pending paths relatively loaded links) or failed to be
actively mitigated by
prior iteration(s) of mitigation which may convert non-mitigated pending paths
to new acceptable
alternatives during prior iteration(s) of mitigation;
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3. current and predicted non path controlled trips, which are applicable to
trips which have non flexible
routes, and according to some embodiment if the traffic on the network include
route choice model
based trips;
4. current and predicted non coordinating path controlled trips, which
according to some embodiments
are applicable with an early stage of deployment of path controlled trips in
which the coordination
control processes require some learning process, while path controlled trips
are applied gradually,
and in which case non coordinating path control trips are assigned with
typical route choice model
based paths according to calibrated DTA performed prior to the deployment of
path controlled trips
and
b. reference time dependent traffic volume to capacity ratios on links
of the road network along predicted
time horizon, which are determined by DTA based traffic prediction fed by
paths which include:
a. current and predicted assigned paths associated with path controlled trips
which according to some
embodiments include paths that are associated with mitigated paths up to the
current iteration in
current cycle; whereas according to some other embodiments, path controlled
trips which were
associated with non-mitigated paths and were mitigated during the current
cycle, are not included
but rather assigned paths and predicted paths assigned to path controlled
trips before the mitigation
in the current cycle are included;
b. current and predicted non path controlled trips, which is applicable to
trips which have non flexible
routes, and according to some embodiment if the traffic on the network
includes route choice model
based trips;
c. current and predicted non coordinating path controlled trips, which case is
applicable according to
some embodiments to an early stage of deployment of path controlled trips in
which the coordination
control processes require some learning process while path controlled trips
are applied gradually and
in which case non coordinating path control trips are assigned with typical
route choice model based
paths according calibrated DTA performed prior to the deployment of path
controlled trips;
wherein, according to the comparison, links on which time dependent
differences of traffic volume to
capacity ratios are found to be above the reference ratios, along the
prediction time horizon, may be
determined as time dependent relatively loaded links.
Such mitigation preferably should include control elements which enable to
prohibit meaningful
justification to raise a claim that the mitigation is a discrimination process
(unfair) under controllable
conditions applying predictive load balancing by the coordination control
processes.
According to some embodiments, mitigation of potential relatively loaded links
may be applied by
gradual top-down controlled approach according to which potential relatively
loaded links are gradually
mitigated by making gradual changes to paths which are detected to fail to
improve travel times according
to said simultaneous attempts and become a potential cause for relatively
loaded links.
According to some embodiments, mitigation of potential traffic loads for
potential relatively loaded
links may be applied by gradual bottom-up controlled approach according to
which the mitigation process
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gradually fills such links, along a plurality of iterations or even cycles of
coordination control processes,
by enabling under control to apply gradual simultaneous attempts which
otherwise, under evaluation of
DTA based predictions of non gradually controlled simultaneous attempts the
attempts, fail to improve
travel times and are detected to be a cause for relatively loaded links.
Such gradual bottom-up controlled mitigation ignores paths associated with non
gradually
controlled simultaneous attempts to improve travel times due to developing
freedom degrees on the
network, if such non gradually simultaneous attempts are applied before a
gradual bottom-up is initiated.
Nevertheless, initiation of a bottom-up process by non controlled attempts may
preferably applied in order
to make the bottom-up approach non blind approach which has no reference to
determine required control
steps for the bottom-up approach, that is, if evaluation of the potential
effect of non controlled simultaneous
attempts is not performed.
According to some embodiments, gradual controlled mitigation may preferably
apply simultaneous
mitigation attempts, under iteration control steps which may preferably be
adaptive to detected convergence
rate to minimize aggregated travel times of simulated trips, which may be
evaluated by said DTA
predictions according to controlled changes in paths, wherein, the criterion
to make a change to a path by
an iteration control step is that a minimum level of improvement in the travel
time may be expected to be
obtained, according to the adaptive control step, before a further evaluation
to simultaneous mitigation is
performed by a DTA prediction according to potential simultaneous allowed
changes to paths by the
iteration control step.
According to some embodiments, the top-down mitigation applies simultaneous
attempts to
mitigate relatively loaded links under iteration control steps, which may
preferably be adaptive to the rate
in the aggregated travel times improvement of simulated trips, wherein the
criterion to make a change to a
path by an iteration of coordination control processes according to an
iteration control step is a minimum
travel time improvement.
Such top-down mitigation approach refers hereinafter to conservative top-down
mitigation which
may be less vulnerable to instability in comparison the a non conservative top-
down mitigation approach
which, according to some embodiments, may fill gradually the potential
relatively under-loaded links due
to the attempts that cause potential relatively loaded links, and which said
non-conservative mitigation
approach uses travel time costs on the network according to evaluated DTA
based traffic prediction effect
according to gradually changing paths to mitigate potential loads of potential
relatively loaded links.
A non-conservative mitigation approach, uses travel time costs on the network
according to DTA
based traffic predictions fed by gradually changing paths which mitigate
potential loads of potential
relatively loaded links, while excluding with the search, for alternative
paths links, which are not yet
mitigated to become non relatively loaded links or in case of gradual
coordination to become links which
are not part of the load balancing priority layer.
Another non-conservative mitigation, which may modify said conservative or
said non
conservative mitigation approaches, may include according to some embodiments
allowance to apply
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chained changes to failed mitigated paths along the iterative mitigation
process, that is, non mitigated paths
are subject to be replaced by paths which failed to mitigate prior non
mitigated paths.
From a point of view of efficiency, the top-down mitigation approach may have
advantage over
bottom-up approach due to an ability to monitor directly the effect of the
mitigation according to DTA
traffic predictions which may provide indication on the rate of the
convergence toward load balance
(especially in a case in which the mitigation enables to recover from a
potential deviation from maintained
load balance) and further to adapt the control steps according to the
mitigation effect on the network,
wherein, in any case both top-down and bottom-up approaches identify
convergence according to the same
criteria which may include identified convergence to minimum aggregated travel
times of simulated trips
in controlled time horizon.
The minimum may be discovered by a detection of a change in the trend towards
improvement of
aggregated travel times, along a plurality of iterations which may be expanded
to a plurality of cycles, and
which according to a change in the trend - a return to prior set of paths,
which enable higher aggregated
travel times, is performed.
From a point of view of efficiency combined with non-discriminating
mitigation, a top-down
approach has an advantage over bottom-up approach as a top down approach
provides no direct priority to
paths which have higher potential to improve travel times on the network and
which the efficiency of
bottom-up approach depends on such priority provision. Therefore, a top-down
approach is more appealing
to users of path controlled trips and to authorities. In this respect a top-
down approach balances the demand
to take benefits from developing freedom degrees on the network, without
compromising on efficiency and
fairness as further elaborated, whereas a bottom-up approach may not have such
ability.
In this respect, with a top-down mitigation to paths which failed to provide
an alternative to
assigned path of a path controlled trip, due to simultaneous attempt to
improve travel times, some of such
non realistic paths are expected to be converted along a plurality of
iterations to alternatives which are
aimed to have the least worse realistic potential to improve travel times of
path controlled trips (in
comparison to the non realistic potential of failed alternatives), while some
other non realistic alternative
paths may become passively realistic to improve travel time of path controlled
trips along a plurality of
iterations.
Although it seems that a top-down approach has advantage to be the a-priory
choice, however,
under high demand to take benefit from developing freedom degrees on the
network, convergence time of
a top-down approach might be too long and a bottom-up approach may be
considered to be used in such
cases to support the top-down approach by limiting the simultaneous attempts
according to prioritized travel
time potential savings or according to a random limit on the allowance to take
benefit of developed freedom
degrees on the network and which random limit restricts the percentage of path
controlled trips that are
allowed to participate in simultaneous attempts to improve travel time in a
cycle. In this respect, combined
top-down and bottom-up approaches provide a realistic compromise between
convergence time and ideal
acceptance conditions to apply coordinating path controlled trips.
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From a point of view of stability the conservative top-down approach may have
advantage, while
being somewhat more complex than the non conservative approach. Therefore
respective embodiments
associated with mitigation are elaborated hereinafter to clarify the
complexity which is not required with
potential implementation of other approaches and which other said approaches
may be considered as
.. simplified approaches of the conservative top-down mitigation approach with
some modifications.
With such said conservative mitigation approach and with other said mitigation
approaches, the
coordination control processes are aimed at improving the traffic flow with an
objective to gradually
maximize the flow on the controlled part of the network.
According to some embodiments, such coordination control related processes may
preferably be
.. applied in a centralized control system, in which each of the path
controlled trips is preferably associated
with a computerized agent which maintains its interest, wherein a plurality of
agents associated with a
plurality of calculation of paths for a path-controlled trip may serve path
controlled trips with an objective
to shorten travel times to destinations, and wherein each agent related
process monitors a common feedback
about potential effects of simultaneous or substantial simultaneous attempts
to improve travel time on the
network and to mitigate potential overloads.
The said feedback is preferably a traffic prediction feedback applied by
simulation of a DTA which
is fed inter-alia by control related paths which are associated with
simultaneous attempts to improve travel
times for path controlled trips or with simultaneous attempts to mitigate
potential overloads.
Hereinafter and before the terms simultaneous associated with for example
calculation of paths or
with attempts to improve travel times or with search for paths, may refer
either to simultaneous or
substantial simultaneous calculation of paths or to attempts to improve travel
times or to search for paths.
As mentioned briefly above uncertainty associated with the number of the
simultaneous processes,
motivated by individual interests, cause uncertainty in the effect of the
traffic on the network, and under
lack of efficient control, said uncertainty may cause instability in
convergence towards load balance under
condition of high usage (e.g., high time usage and high percentage of users)
of path controlled trips on the
network.
It is worth noting that instability in assignment of paths may not mandatorily
cause instability in
traffic development since instability in assignment of paths might eventually
be resolved without a need
for special coordination in some cases during the traffic development, at
split points (junctions) on the
network between alternatives according to said dynamically updated feedbacks
received by said agents
associated with calculation of paths for path controlled trips.
However, at high level of usage of path controlled trips, this possibility
becomes more rare and
coordination becomes mandatory in such cases, while anyhow (with or without
natural resolved
instabilities) minimization or even prevention of unstable assignment of paths
(which doesn't imply
.. minimization in calculation of paths which under iterative control
calculation of paths have higher
frequency than the frequency of assignments of paths) is also an issue with
respect to negative effects on
communication loads (associated with a centralized control on assigned paths)
and further with respect to
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negative effects on human perception e.g., drivers and passengers who might
be, or are, aware of an
instability of assigned paths.
With respect to potential instability in traffic development, under allowance
of simultaneous
attempts to improve travel time of assigned paths and simultaneous reaction to
mitigation of potential
negative effects of said simultaneous attempt, the least worse case may result
with some oscillations in
assignments of paths whereas a worse case is dispersion of the instability
which prevents convergence
towards load balance.
Therefore, according to some embodiments, said coordination of paths should
preferably apply a
method which mitigates potential instability (oscillations as well as
propagation and/or dispersion of
.. instabilities) and which method may enable to coordinate path controlled
trips applying a sort of controlled
user-optimal approach (i.e., preferably allowing simultaneous attempts to
improve travel times and then
mitigating potential overloads) and which method might be crucial to cope with
a need to apply load
balancing based on fairness for high usage of path controlled trips.
According to some embodiments, such coordination, which might be limited by
the potential rate
.. to mitigate potential relatively loaded links on a large network - due to
the number and/or the level of the
relative loads and/or due to the level of instability ¨ under given
computation resources, may apply gradual
coordination control processes as mentioned before. In this respect, potential
relatively loaded links are
identified according to controllable traffic prediction, and then such links
may be updated according to a
need in a load balancing priority layer in a common database which is
available, for example, to be accessed
by said agents, providing prioritized feedback to said agents and accordingly
apply gradual distributed
computation which apply convergence towards load balance under gradual
coordination applied by gradual
coordination control processes.
With respect to gradual coordination, which may contribute to an ability to
cope with instability by
such approach, the following described method which may be associated with
some embodiments is
introduced. In this respect, instability in the relatively loaded links,
according to some embodiments, is
handled, as part of gradual coordination control processes, by applying
mitigation for prioritized relatively
loaded links while forcing non-discriminating distribution of oscillating
paths, which are associated with
oscillations on prioritized links associated with a load balancing priority
layer, on the network, and, further
freezing temporarily the distribution for a certain time which may enable to
prevent temporal interference
.. to mitigation of prioritized relatively loaded links. At the end of the
freeze time, frozen paths are gradually
released enabling refinements to the forced distribution under more converged
conditions towards load
balance. The release may by applied gradually during the mitigation by the
mitigating control processes.
In this respect, it should be taken into account that a strategy to obtain
convergence towards high
quality of load balance might take longer than a strategy to obtain
temporarily a lower quality of load
balance by a shorter time convergence.
It worth noting that instability in assignment of paths may not mandatorily
cause instability in
traffic development since instability in assignment of paths might eventually
be resolved without a need
for special coordination in some cases during the traffic development, at
split points on the network among
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alternatives according to said dynamically updated feedbacks received by said
agents associated with
calculation of paths for path controlled trips.
However, at high level of usage of path controlled trips this possibility
becomes more rare and
coordination becomes mandatory in such cases, while minimization or even
prevention of such unstable
assignment of paths (which doesn't imply minimization in calculation of paths
which under iterative control
calculation of paths have higher frequency than the frequency of assignments
of paths) is also an issue
which negatively affects communication load associated with a centralized
control on assigned paths and
which further negatively affects human perception of unstable assigned paths
e.g., drivers and passengers
who might be, or are, aware of an instability.
Different strategies may be applied according to different levels of diversion
of the traffic from
load balance and which strategies may be constructed by combining different
aspects which may contribute
either to acceleration of convergence towards load balance or to a refinement
to the load balance by a longer
time convergence if the computation resources may make it affordable. Said
aspects, according to different
embodiments with a reference to pending paths that are subject to mitigation
with respect to a need to
mitigate Relatively Loaded Links (RLL), may include:
a) determination of RLL from a point of view of the pending path, that is,
ignoring RLL on the
network which are not on the pending path,
b) determination of RLL from a network point of view, that is, including RLL
associated with paths
other than the path for which an alternative is searched for, wherein the
network point of view is
regional or RLL associated with distinguishable part of the traffic on the
network, and wherein such
aspect may serve also simultaneous attempts to improve travel times of an
assigned path associated
with a path controlled trip at a time before it becomes associated with a
pending path; and wherein
a distinguishable part of the traffic has, on the one hand, high interrelated
interaction on the network
within the horizon of traffic predictions associated with load balancing
control processes and, on
the other hand, sufficiently low interaction with other one or more
distinguishable parts of the
traffic. Examples of low or non interrelated interaction between two parts of
traffic on a network is
opposite traffic flows such as north to south flow interaction with south to
north flow, or even east
to west flow interaction with south to north flow. This may further be
expanded, for example, to
parallel flows in the same direction having low or no interaction within the
prediction time horizon,
and to separate flows having low or no potential interaction within the
prediction time horizon.
c) determination of distinguishable RLL with respect to short term time
horizon of the traffic
predictions and with respect to longer term time horizon in the prediction,
wherein the short term
may refer to determination of RLL according to "b)" and the long term part to
"a)", and wherein
the time horizon may be individually determined with respect to a path
controlled trip from its
pending path point of view,
d) determination of distinguishable RLL with respect to short term time
horizon of the traffic
predictions and with respect to longer term time horizon in the prediction,
wherein the short term
may refer to determination of RLL according to "a)" and the long term part to
"b)", and wherein
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the time horizon may be individually determined with respect to a path
controlled trip from its
pending path point of view,
Aspects which include "b)', "c)" and "d)" may gain benefit from a knowledge
about the effect on the
convergence towards load balance while excluding RLL which are not associated
with a single pending
path when searching for an alternative path to a pending path.
The knowledge may take benefit of recent historical RLL with respect to
convergence, and further
from, for example, off-line load balancing simulation results of load
balancing control processes.
In this respect, it is assumed that load balancing control processes are
applied from early morning
hours, during which free flow conditions are expected to be on a network, and
therefore simultaneous
attempts to improve travel times may decline the level of load balance and a
failure to improve travel times
by simultaneous attempt under such conditions may indicate on one or more
links which contribute to
declination in the load balance. In this respect, some preference may be
provided to a prior stage in which
higher level of load balance may be expected.
Links which may be determined as RLL may according to some embodiments be
links on which
there is an expected significant potential selective increase in the traffic
volume to capacity ratios according
to said simultaneous attempt and may be determined according to a comparison
of the current traffic load
to capacity ratios on network link with stored trend of the traffic load to
capacity ratios on the network
under similar demand. For example, simultaneous attempts which were evaluated
by controlled predictions
may indicate on declination in the level of the load balance by said
comparison if it can be assumed that
the objective of the load balancing is to maintain load balance.
This could be a reasonable assumption under conditions that the load balancing
processes are
applied from early hours in the morning, in which free flow is expected on the
network, and that the
processes are sufficiently effective to maintain load balancing at substantial
real time.
In case of loss of load balance, which preferably should not be allowed under
effective design of a
system platform with sufficient redundancy, said significant selective
increase in the traffic volume to
capacity ratios may be determined according to off line simulations of load
balancing control processes for
specific hours and days for a specific network, providing typical values to
guide on-line traffic load
balancing.
In this respect, traffic load to capacity ratios on network links, and
preferably also control related
data which is relevant to support adjustment of current traffic towards load
balance, may be retrieved from
storage which may be updated by prior on line load balancing control processes
or by off line simulation
of load balancing processes, and which refers to load balanced traffic having
relevance to adjust current
traffic, and which said loaded traffic volume to capacity ratios may be used
as a reference to first determine
the difference between known traffic load to capacity ratios at a stage of
load balance and ratios at current
traffic conditions, and then to determine, according to a need, RLL to be
associated with load balancing
priority layer.
In case that a deviation from load balance was due to slow response time of
the path control
processes then the stored data may contribute to put in order the priority in
handling relatively loaded links
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and which the load balancing may be expected in such a case to perform at a
coarser resolution than the off
line simulation. A slow response may be identified according to the trend in
the increase or decrease in the
number of relatively loaded links and in the level of loads, e.g., according
to real time stored history of
relatively loaded links.
An ideal load balance may be a stage in which no attempt to improve travel
time may be obtained
while in reality this might not be the case due to continuous dynamic changes
in the freedom degrees on
the network which are affected at least by the dynamic entries and exits from
the controlled network.
Hereinafter and above, reference to freedom degrees on the network refer
further to predicted
freedom degrees with respect to time dependent predicted demand and time
dependent predicted traffic. In
this respect coordination control processes are predictive control processes
applied as part of predictive
load balancing control processes of predictive path control.
According to some embodiments, an iteration of coordination control processes
is based on
predetermined processes associated for planning and assigning paths to path
control trips, and which
mitigation of relatively loaded links, associated with iterations of
coordination control processes, may but
not be limited to further be associated with above and further described
processes, rules associated with
processes and access to data required to be used with processes.
According to some embodiments, processes, rules and access to data, associated
with processes of
an iteration of, for example, said conservative top-down mitigation provide a
skeleton for possible
modifications or expansions, according but not limited to relevant embodiments
described hereinafter and
above, and which such iteration may but not be limited to include according to
some embodiments
additional, all, or part of the following processes, rules and data, as long
as the ultimate objective, under
acceptable or non controlled constraints, is to improve load balance of
traffic on a road network and which
an iteration of conservative top-down mitigation may comprise:
A. Access to initial conditions related data, which according to some
embodiments an iteration starts
with receiving or having access to such data and which a previous iteration
ends with relevant updates
to such data for a subsequent iteration, and which initial conditions related
data may but not be limited
to comprise according to some embodiments:
1. current and predicted assigned paths associated with path controlled trips
which include paths
that are associated with mitigated paths up to the current iteration in
current cycle; whereas
according to some embodiments, with respect to further determination of
relatively loaded links,
current and predicted stored paths, which were assigned to path controlled
trips and their non
mitigated paths were mitigated during the current cycle, are assumed to be
considered as current
and predicted assigned paths associated with path controlled trips for
determination of relatively
loaded links as further described with "B", that is, paths which were assigned
to path controlled
trips and which were substituted according to mitigation in the current cycle
by a prior iteration
or a plurality of iterations;
2. non-mitigated pending paths that may refer also to non mitigated paths,
which are determined as
paths associated with path controlled trips providing pending potential
alternatives, or pending
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potential alternatives which are subject to be substituted by new alternatives
to current or
predicted assigned paths to path controlled trips, according to mitigation,
and which non mitigated
paths may be generated at the initialization of a cycle of coordination
control processes - due to
independent simultaneous attempts to improve travel times for current and
predicted assigned
paths to current and predicted path controlled trips by simultaneous searches
for shortest paths
according to potential reduction in time dependent travel time costs
(developed by freedom
degrees or relatively freedom degrees on the network), and as a result of the
evaluation of the
effect of the simultaneous attempts on travel time costs (along the controlled
time horizon
associated with current cycle by a synthesis of DTA traffic prediction fed by
current and predicted
paths associated with said simultaneous attempts and further by other current
and predicted paths
on the network which may include but not be limited to: current and predicted
paths associated
with path controlled trips for which said attempts were not performed, current
and predicted route
choice model based trips, current and predicted non coordinating path
controlled trips) such paths
may became a potential cause for relatively loaded links on the network, that
is, paths which failed
to provide acceptable alternative to assigned paths associated with path
controlled trips and
determined in terms of potential mitigation as non mitigated pending paths,
and which such paths,
with respect to prior iteration(s), are paths that failed to be passively
mitigated (accepted as an
alternative to path associated with respective path controlled trip) by prior
iteration(s) of
mitigation (due to active mitigation which may convert other non-mitigated
pending paths to new
acceptable alternatives and which such alternatives have in common with the
passively non
mitigated pending paths relatively loaded links) or failed to be actively
mitigated by prior
iteration(s) of mitigation which may convert non-mitigated pending paths to
new acceptable
alternatives during prior iteration(s) of mitigation;
3. current and predicted paths assigned to non path controlled trips, which
are applicable to trips
which have non flexible routes, and according to some embodiment if the
traffic on the network
includes route choice model for trips;
4. current and predicted path assigned to non coordinating path controlled
trips, which according to
some embodiments are applicable with an early stage of deployment of path
controlled trips in
which the coordination control processes require some learning process, while
path controlled
trips are applied gradually, and in which case non coordinating path control
trips are assigned
with typical route choice model based paths according to calibrated DTA
performed prior to the
deployment of path controlled trips;
5. data and decision criteria used and/or produced and/or modified by one or
more prior iterations
and which are subject to be used and/or modified by the current iteration and
which usage
according to the following specifies such relevant data and/or criteria,
including but not limited
to a threshold related acceptance criterion to accept new alternative paths to
path controlled trips
and which is adapted along iterations to mitigate relatively loaded links.
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B. Determination of relatively loaded links by evaluating potential time-
dependent effect of mitigated
and non mitigated pending paths, updated by the previous iteration, on the
volume to capacity ratios
of network links along the currently mitigated time horizon, by feeding an on
line calibrated DTA
based traffic prediction simulator with part of the received paths according
to "A" wherein the fed
paths are not including assigned paths associated with path controlled trips
with which non mitigated
paths are associated while including instead the non-mitigated paths
associated an a pending
alternative to path controlled trips, and according to synthesis of DTA
traffic prediction for the
currently mitigated time horizon - determining time dependent relatively
loaded links by a
comparison between:
1. time dependent traffic volumes to capacity ratios on network links along
the currently mitigated
time horizon, which is determined by the synthesis of DTA traffic prediction
fed by said paths (as
said above in "B", i.e., with reference to "A" assigned paths associated with
path controlled trips
are not included while their respective non mitigated pending paths which were
considered as
alternative are included), and
2. reference time dependent traffic volume to capacity ratios on links which
are determined by
synthesis of DTA traffic prediction fed by paths which with respect to
coordinating path controlled
trips include assigned paths (which according to some embodiments include
mitigated paths, which
were assigned to path controlled trips as alternatives up to the current
iteration of the current cycle,
whereas according to some other embodiments includes no mitigated paths
assigned to path
controlled trips in the current cycle) and exclude non mitigated paths
associated with assigned
paths,
wherein, according to the comparison, links on which time dependent
differences of traffic volume
to capacity ratios are found to be above the reference ratios, along the
prediction time horizon, mainly
due to non mitigated pending paths, may be determined as time dependent
relatively loaded links.
According to some embodiments, the determination of time dependence for
relatively loaded links
is performed for time intervals which may be longer than the time intervals
that discriminate the time
horizon for which the current cycle is performed if it is required to maintain
more stable mitigation.
C. Determination and update of prioritized load balancing priority layer,
subject to a case in which there
is a need for gradual coordination control, that is, when the coordination
control processes maintain
load balancing preferably under non major deviation from load balance, which
may or may not
require further concentration of traffic on part of the network. In this
respect, according to some
embodiments, the determination of prioritized relatively loaded links in a
load balancing priority
layer is performed according to the potential convergence of the mitigation
under real time
constraints, that is, slow trend in the reduction of aggregated travel times
or increase in the aggregated
ravel times may enable to reduce the number of the relatively loaded links in
the load balancing
priority layer by providing priority to higher level of relatively loaded
links.
D. Mitigation of traffic loads on relatively loaded links by:
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1. searching for new alternative paths to yet non-mitigated pending
alternative paths, preferably by
substantially simultaneous search processes, wherein, according to some
embodiments, time
dependent travel times that are associated with a search are determined by
synthesis of DTA based
traffic prediction fed by said paths according to "A" while non-mitigated
paths up to the current
iteration are excluded (not fed), and wherein the search with respect to links
excludes from the
controlled network said relatively loaded links determined by "B" if the link
is not a destination
link, whereas, if gradual coordination is applied then the search excludes
prioritized relatively
loaded links determined by "C" if the link is not a destination link.
According to some
embodiment, if new alternative paths are not accepted by the current iteration
according to further
determined acceptance procedure they are ignored with further iterations of
the mitigation, that
is, the reference to search for new alternative paths in a subsequent
iteration are said yet not
mitigated pending alternative paths. According to less conservative
embodiments the new
alternative paths are not ignored and used as a reference for acceptance
procedure by the
subsequent iteration and are substituting said non mitigated paths in "A".
According to some
embodiments, exclusion of relatively loaded links refers to exclusion of the
first link associated
with a non mitigated path or links which are associated with travel times
(associated with the non
mitigated path) along part of the prediction time horizon. According to some
embodiments, said
searches for paths are preferably performed substantially simultaneously by
agents, wherein
according to available computation power for real time related performance, an
agent is associated
with a search for one or more new alternative paths, and wherein a search is
performed by
calculating a shortest or a substantially shortest path according to said time
dependent travel
times, and wherein in this respect, and hereinafter and above described
embodiments, the term
search or the term path calculation for a path refer, if not otherwise
specified, to applying a
shortest path algorithm known in the art including, for example, A* (A star)
algorithm or related
variants known in the art, wherein the costs are time dependent travel times
on network links in
predicted time horizon intervals.
2. Determining a threshold related acceptance criterion to accept new
alternative paths as a
substitution to assigned path controlled trips, wherein the threshold is
adaptively determined in
order to enable controllable mitigation by the current iteration in
perspective of one or more prior
iterations; and wherein, according to prior mitigation rate, preferably during
a plurality of
iterations, the threshold in previous iteration is modified to enable further
higher increase or lower
increase or no change in the mitigation, or to return to prior conditions of
prior iterations in order
to decrease the level of overreaction to mitigation performed by the previous
iteration which may
negatively affect the mitigation convergence; and wherein the criterion to
choose the required
trend in the mitigation relates to the functionality of the threshold to limit
mitigation of non-
deterministic number of non-mitigated paths which may preferably prevent as
much as possible
non acceptable discrimination in assignment of paths as well as non linear or
at least significant
non linear effects on the network, in order to enable fairness and
controllable convergence along
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a plurality of iterations. In this respect the threshold should preferably be
dynamically adapted
along a plurality of iterations in order to allow on the one hand predictable
convergence and on
the other hand rapid convergence. According to some embodiments, in order to
avoid solely real
time adaptation of the threshold, which might not be sufficiently effective
for non substantially
recurrent traffic developments, predetermined sets of thresholds may be
prepared and stored for
different scenarios in order to support coarse reference to real time refined
adaptation. In this
respect, real time adaptation of the threshold is supported by, for example,
said stored predictive
control data which may be expanded to include recommended sets of thresholds
according to
acceptable match between current patterns of traffic and stored patterns of
traffic associated with
set or sets of thresholds, enabling to retrieve according to said match
desirable coarse set or sets
of thresholds which may be refined in real time. According to some
embodiments, a dynamically
determined threshold is preferably related to distinguishable part of the
traffic on the network,
and wherein a distinguishable part of the traffic has, on the one hand, high
interrelated interaction
on the network within the horizon of traffic predictions associated with
coordination control
processes and, on the other hand, sufficiently low interaction with other one
or more
distinguishable parts of the traffic. Examples of low or non interrelated
interaction between two
parts of traffic on a network is opposite traffic flows such as north to south
flow interaction with
south to north flow, or even east to west flow interaction with south to north
flow. This may
further be expanded to parallel flows in the same direction having low or no
interaction within
the prediction time horizon, and to any other separate flows having low or no
potential interaction
within the prediction time horizon.
3. Accepting new alternative paths or pending alternative paths according to a
predetermined
acceptance procedure which may but not be limited to a threshold which enables
to put a limit on
acceptance of said new alternative paths, according to search results from
"D.1"; that is, if the
potential improvement in travel time of the new alternative, which according
to the predetermined
procedure should be less than the potential improvement that was assumed to be
gained by a
search for the alternative path to an assigned path and which failed to
provide improvement due
to simultaneous attempts and became a non mitigated pending path (determined
in "A.2" or
according to some embodiment in "D.3"), a threshold puts a limit on the
maximum accepted
reduction in potential travel time improvement in comparison to the potential
travel time
improvement that was assumed to be gained by the search for a path which
became a non
mitigated pending path (at the time before it was found to fail to provide an
alternative to an
assigned path due to said substantially simultaneous search processes);
wherein the assumed
travel time difference according to the threshold is preferably a marginal
value (as mentioned in
"D.2) in order to enable acceptable mitigation during a plurality of
iterations. Such approach
contributes to both objectives: efficiency associated with coordination
control processes and
fairness. In this respect, the efficiency objective is obtained by providing
relatively lower priority
to changes to non mitigated paths (failed alternative paths) which according
to the search in "E.1"
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were assumed to have high travel time potential savings, while due to
simultaneous attempt to
improve travel times the alternative paths failed to improve travel times and
are left to be non
mitigated pending paths which are subject to potential mitigation along cycle
iterations, either
directly as a result of accepting new alternative paths or indirectly as a
result of accepting new
alternatives to other related non mitigated pending paths with respect to
common non mitigated
relatively loaded links. The complementary objective, which is fairness,
enabling further to obtain
controllable convergence objective along a plurality of iterations of
mitigations (due to linear or
less non linear effects on synthesis of DTA traffic predictions), are obtained
by enabling marginal
differences in travel times to be applied with a new alternative path
according to the threshold,
that is, acceptance of a new alternative, under an iteration, is associated
preferably with marginal
changes with respect to travel time improvements which were assumed to be
gained with the
search for paths that became non mitigated paths (the potential travel time
improvements of the
non mitigated alternative paths were found to be fictitious improvements and
therefore such paths
became non mitigated pending paths). According to some embodiments the
difference in travel
time may be based on absolute values and according to some other embodiments
the difference
in travel time may be based on a relative values,
E. Assignment of mitigated paths, that is, accepted new alternative paths or
pending paths, to path
controlled trips according to assignment acceptance criteria which may have to
take into account that
making a modification to an assigned path should preferably avoid, inter-alia,
too short reaction time
to a modification by human driver or by an autonomously driven vehicle, and/or
too frequent changes
to assigned paths which from human perception point of view negatively affect
the confidence in
path control trips, and which too frequent changes to assigned paths further
produce non productive
usage of communication resources. Assignment acceptance criteria may, for
example, include:
1. a condition that the path preferably complies with acceptable frequency of
changes to an assigned
path to a path controlled trip, to prevent non-productive communication loads
and negative effect
on human perception which may be interpreted as non stable control, and/or
2. a condition that the accepted path according to the threshold, contributes
to travel time
improvement in comparison to the travel time of the current assigned path
which is preferably
evaluated by synthesis of DTA traffic prediction fed by respective paths
according to the
mitigation processes which were performed up to the current iterations.
F. Updating results from the iteration to provide initial conditions for the
subsequent iteration and which
data related to initial conditions are determined in "A".
Expansions or modifications to the described iteration may further include but
not be limited to:
According to some embodiments, on-line calibration of a DTA simulator, which
is used with
traffic predictions, is applied at least once in a cycle to serve iterations
in the cycle. Cycle times, according
to some embodiments may have same or a different time duration along
coordination control processes
which depends on the convergence time of the mitigation.
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According to some embodiments, further to association of a said threshold with
a dynamically or
statically said distinguishable part of the traffic, the relatively loaded
links (including links in a load
balancing priority layer when gradual coordination is applied) are also
determined according to said
distinguishable parts of traffic. In this respect, load balancing priority
layer may, for example, refer
hereinafter and above to load balancing priority layer in context of
distinguishable part of traffic on the
network if such approach is applied.
According to some embodiments, under bottom-up mitigation approach a threshold
may refer to
an opposite functionality than in case of top-down mitigation approach,
wherein, according to a bottom up
approach, instead of enabling controlled mitigation of potential overloads of
traffic associated with
relatively loaded links, due to unlimited initial simultaneous attempts to
improve travel times, the objective
with a bottom-up mitigation approach is to mitigate non exploited usage of
freedom degrees on the network
to improve travel times. Nevertheless, a bottom-up mitigation approach is not
free from a need to mitigate
potential overloads of traffic which the bottom-up mitigation may cause, due
to its allowance to apply
simultaneous attempts to improve travel times. In this respect, although
potential overloads that may be
associated with a bottom-up mitigation approach may be expected to be less
severe than potential overloads
under non limited allowance, the bottom-up mitigation approach is still
exposed to generating potential
overloads and therefore should preferably include logic associated with an
adaptive threshold to mitigate
potential traffic overloads, for example, by top-down mitigation, or by return
to prior conditions in order to
apply more moderate reaction to the bottom-up approach by a more conservative
threshold. The
functionality of a Top-Down Mitigation (TDM) threshold associated with
mitigation of potential traffic
overloads is distinguished from a bottom-up mitigation threshold, wherein the
objective of a bottom-up
mitigation threshold is to limit potential simultaneous attempts to improve
travel time of paths assigned to
path control trips, due to developed freedom degrees on the network to improve
travel time, whereas the
objective of TDM threshold is to limit the potential simultaneous attempts to
find alternative to
disappointing simultaneous attempts to improve travel times. In this respect,
a TDM threshold, which is
determined dynamically along a plurality of iterations to gradually mitigate
potential overloads, limits
potential attempts to contribute to mitigation of overloads by providing
priority to find alternative paths to
paths according to which slight changes to pending paths are made
(disappointing paths due to a
simultaneous attempt that was made to improve travel times). With such
approach linearization of the load
balancing control processes and substantial fairness may be maintained in
order to prevent non sufficiently
predictive effects on network travel time costs and to avoid potential
objections to cooperate with an
operation which applies such approach.
According to some embodiments, in the transition from one cycle to another, a
search for a path to
be assigned to a new entry, or a new predicted entry, of path controlled trip
into the network, or a search
for an alternative path to an assigned path which is not associated with
relatively loaded links (or prioritized
loaded links in case that gradual coordination is applied according to the
content of a load balancing priority
layer), may be performed by shortest path search algorithm according to time
dependent travel time costs
while relatively loaded links (or prioritized relatively loaded links
associated with the content of a load
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balancing priority layer in case that gradual coordination is applied) are
excluded from the search with an
exception that if the destination link is a relatively loaded link then the
link is not excluded. The time
dependent travel time costs associated with such a search is preferably
determined according to synthesis
of DTA traffic predictions (before referring to the comparison) according to
the updated paths by the
previous iteration.
Such an iteration, and iterations associated with other top-down mitigation or
with bottom-up
mitigation approaches, may refer with further and above described embodiments
to coordination control
iteration or to load balancing coordination iteration or to load balancing
coordination sub phase or to
coordination control sub phase, wherein the term phase refers in this respect
to a cycle and the term sub-
.. phase refers to an iteration. In this respect a plurality of load balancing
coordination iterations or load
balancing coordination sub-phases or coordination control iterations or
coordination control sub phases are
associated with a load balancing coordination cycle or a load balancing
coordination phase or coordination
control cycle or coordination control phase. The difference between load
balancing coordination and
coordination control is associated with the difference between load balancing
control processes and
coordination control processes determined above and which synchronization
aspects are associated with
the load balancing related terms in comparison to coordination control related
terms and while referring to
one of such terms their respective terms are referred to indirectly.
Expansions with respect to cycles/phases for coordination control processes
and/or to a path control
system and/or to any method associated with a path control system and/or to a
vehicular apparatus and/or
.. methods associated with vehicular apparatus, may comprise:
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may comprise determination of
instability in
assigned paths along a plurality of cycles, according to respective recent
historical records of relatively
loaded links, and accordingly applying non-discriminating distribution of
respective non mitigated paths
which are a cause for the instability, for example, a simple oscillation
between two or more alternatives
may be distributed to present substantially equal travel times between the
alternatives, and which such paths
may further be frozen for a certain number of said cycles in order to prohibit
interference to the convergence
of coordination control processes. The number of cycles during which the paths
are frozen and during which
they are released, preferably gradually, may be determined according to
different predetermined similar
enough scenarios which were performed by off line simulation which indicate on
potential convergence
efficiency under potential reduction of instability which under real time
constraints may cause at the best
case inefficiency in the mitigation of relatively loaded links (too slow
convergence), and at a worse case to
prevent convergence.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise
declination of an issue of
a need to cope with search for paths which their destination time horizons may
be beyond the time horizon
applied with DTA traffic prediction and which, according to some embodiments,
a remedy to lighten the
issue is to apply more frequently coordination control iterations and extend
the time horizon to the
maximum efficient time horizon under computation power constraints for most
benefiting results according
to DTA accuracy. According to some embodiments, another remedy may apply with
a search beyond the
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time horizon, travel time costs on network links which can be statistical
predictions and possibly rely on
stored historical time patterns that may have sufficient match with current
traffic related patterns.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a search
for a path which
may include personal preferences that put constraints on a shortest path
search, wherein constraints may
relate to, for example, behavior and preferences of drivers which may further
include according to some
embodiments a tradeoff between reaction to personal constraints and
coordination of paths for most
efficient traffic flow. In this respect, traffic efficiency might but not
necessarily be reduced while personal
considerations are taken into account. For example, hesitancy level of a
driver may be taken into account
as a personal constraint by choosing a path for a trip which for example
minimizes, or possibly excludes,
roads and intersections in a calculation of a path to which hesitancy behavior
may either affect negatively
the travel time on the network or make the driving non sufficiently safe. Safe
driving related constraints
which might be counterproductive to optimized traffic flow may at least
contribute to a more safe driving
if drivers may be enabled with their driving navigation aids to setup and/or
detect personal safety related
constraints to be used with path controlled trips requests (in conjunction
with position and destination pairs)
as well as with other possibly allowed constraints.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise safety
related constraints,
which may be detected by an in vehicle process that tracks behavior of
drivers, for example a black box
which serves insurers may determine hesitance or aggressive level of a driver,
and/or any other driving
behavior indication, which may enable a path control system to assign
selectively a path to a driver to
maximize traffic flow on the network. For example, according to indication of
hesitance level of driving,
minimization, or exclusion, with an assigned path of non traffic light
controlled intersections, and/or
possibly roundabouts, and/or roads in which hesitance may negatively affect
the traffic flow, etc., is applied.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise automatic
detection of
hesitance or aggressive level in driving, which may be performed by a black
box which may serve insurers
to determine entitled discount for an insurance policy.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise automatic
detection of
hesitance or aggressive level in driving in relation to potential interference
to merge into non traffic lights
controlled traffic, which may be performed by a modified method and apparatus
aimed at facilitating merger
of an autonomous vehicle in traffic. According to such embodiment, a learning
process during autonomous
driving may determine reference for deviation from acceptable behavior of
merger into traffic per situation,
for example, a roundabout under known traffic load and mix of behavior of
drivers. If the autonomous
vehicle is in non automatic driving mode (used by a driver) it may identify
deviation levels from said
acceptable behavior, to be informed to the path control system in order to put
respective constraints on path
assignment to the vehicle by a path control system, under non automatic
driving mode and under the
exceptional detected behavior.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise
constraints on path
assignments which may but not be limited to further include: estimated time to
enter the network, avoiding
non privileged road toll, preference to highways etc.
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According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise, with
respective described
approaches, a tradeoff which preferably takes into account current as well as
predicted traffic with path
control which might further consider a compromise between personal constraints
and which might but not
necessarily reduce travel time savings on the network and optimal flow on the
network. If personal
constraints may relate to safety of driving, a respective path assignment may
have positive contribution to
economical aspect related to the network flow, and might not stay in conflict
with negative effect on travel
time reduction. The possibility of non being in said conflict could be either
a result of the possibility to
improve the travel time savings on the network by adapting trips assignments
by the path control system to
behavior of drivers in a way that minimizes interference to the flow, and
hence improves the flow, or a
result of a possibility to compensate by considering the safety related
economical value of the effect of
safety related personal preferences which puts limits on the ability to obtain
optimal traffic flow generated
due to reaction to safety constraints.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a
multiple destinations
trip, such as for example a cooperative trip in which case a vehicle picks-up
one or more passengers having
different destinations, for example according to a prescheduled trip, and
which the trip affects a time
horizon of coordination control processes, and in this respect such a trip may
be handled either as multiple
discrete trips or as a trip having sub destinations.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise, in case
of multiple
discrete trips, conversion of each destination into an origin towards a
subsequent destination at a time it
arrives to the farthest destination, ignoring further destinations which
affect the demand of trips under
coordination control processes. In this respect, a service which supports
constraints on trips with pre-
scheduled pickup destinations may enable, by informing about such constraints
as part of a request for trip,
a more accurate traffic prediction according to multiple destination pending
trips. For example, a sub-trip,
that is, destination to destination sub-trip, may be handled as predictable
demand constructing prescheduled
chain of sub-trips. According to such embodiments, times of arrival to
destinations, which are converted in
due course into origins along prescheduled trips, may be used by the predicted
path control to refine
predicted demand from one coordination control cycle to another. For example,
a traffic prediction which
is a result of a recent coordination control cycle may feed a subsequent cycle
with respective predicted
demand according to recent traffic prediction, enabling to refine the
respective part of time dependent
predicted demand and accordingly traffic predictions. Such demand may
preferably include delays required
with picking up passengers. Such refinement to predicted demand may further be
expanded to include any
prescheduled trips either multi-destination trips or single destination trips
to refine the time dependent
predicted demand for time dependent traffic prediction.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise an
application of a driving
navigation service which supports planning of pre-scheduled destinations trip
and which service may
further enable dynamic changes in the destinations of the trip, before and
during a trip, which should
preferably update a path control system by trip related destinations in order
to enable multi destination path
control. In turn, the path control system may enable updates to the said
service about changes in estimated
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time of arrival to destinations through, for example, server to server
communication which updates by a
path control system the service application estimated times of arrivals to
destinations. This may enable the
service application to update accordingly the driver, and preferably also
participants in a prescheduled trip,
with estimated time of arrivals to destinations.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise search
for time dependent
K shortest paths which is applied with said search for a new alternative path
to mitigate relatively loaded
links in an iteration of mitigation, enabling more efficient mitigation. In
this respect, faster mitigation may
use time dependent K shortest paths under travel time constraints by choosing
randomly one path out of
the K pathsa new alternative path, wherein the random choice is made under a
limit that the longest possible
path complies with the threshold associated with the mitigation.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise, under
conditions in
which traffic evacuation or traffic dilution is required from a certain part
of a network, determination of
destinations to be assigned to a vehicle before a search for paths is applied.
In this respect, coordination
control processes, which should maintain fairness by assigning non-
discriminating paths to vehicles, are
expanded to support evacuation or dilution towards common destinations which
are preferably located
farther than effective destinations on the network in order to enable to apply
efficient, non discriminating
and flexible evacuation or dilution of vehicles towards a plurality of
effective destinations (potential multi
effective destinations per said common farther destination) according the
developing dynamics in the
evacuated or the diluted part of the network.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise expanded
coordination
control processes which assign fictitious destinations to vehicles on a
fictitiously expanded road map..
Fictitious expansion to a map (beyond the part of a real network which should
be evacuated) is applied in
a case when it may facilitate efficiency and fairness in the assignment of
paths during the evacuation or the
dilution. According to some embodiments, fictitious links are planned and
assigned on a fictitious expanded
part of the road map enabling expanded coordination control processes to guide
vehicles towards fictitious
destinations through effective potential exits associated with the real part
of a network to be evacuated or
diluted.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise
fictitious destinations
which may preferably be dynamically distributed around the evacuated or
diluted angles enabling to assign
dynamic fictitious destinations to vehicles according to dynamic development
of the flow on the evacuated
or diluted part of the network.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a dynamic
assignment of
a fictitious destination for a vehicle may be applied by an agent associated
with calculation of paths for the
vehicle according to increase or decrease in the traffic flow towards a
fictitious destination of a vehicle. In
this respect, two or more of the above described cycles of coordination
control processes are applies in
parallel, wherein each cycle is applied with different fictitious destination.
The plurality of results may be
evaluated by controlled traffic predictions, by synthesis of different DTA
simulations fed by different result
of paths according to different fictitious destinations. According to the
shortest estimated time result to
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effective destinations, a decision process may determine the preferred
fictitious destination to be assigned
for a vehicle with further evacuation or dilution of traffic. The smaller the
difference between adjacent
fictitious destination, applied by said cycles, the higher is the efficiency
to control dynamically assignments
of fictitious destinations.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise different
fictitious
destinations which are predetermined as adjacent destinations according to
which changes to fictitious
destinations are applied.
According to some embodiments, said expansion may further comprise a first
choice to assign a
fictitious destination which is the fictitious shortest straight line towards
a fictitious destination while
preferably fictitious destination are more densely determined with respect to
more dense exits from the
evacuated or diluted part of the network.
According to some embodiments, said expansion may further comprise acceptable
exits on a roads
map from the evacuated or diluted part of the network which may expand the
part of the map of the
evacuated or diluted part of the network by straight links towards fictitious
destinations, which fictitious
links are assigned with fictitious capacities that may not change priorities
of said exits. In this respect
adaptation of capacities and lengths of fictitious links towards fictitious
destinations may preferably be
assigned dynamically according to developed flows on the evacuated or diluted
part of the network.
According to such embodiments, fairness in assignments of paths may be
maintained by the
tendency of dynamic convergence associated inherently with coordination
control cycles and iterations of
coordination control processes. In this respect, tendency towards fair
assignments of routes refers to non-
discriminating convergence in terms of travel time for same trip conditions at
the time of assignment of
paths. For example, dynamic assignment of paths to vehicles, having
substantially the same position to
destination pairs, will be maintained according to current coordination
control cycle or iteration using traffic
predictions respectively with finite time horizon of a rolling time horizon.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise trips
that are, or might
have been considered, to be assigned with paths, according to coordination
control processes, and are not
yet within a part of a network that should be evacuated or diluted, and which
paths are or might have been
assigned with paths which pass through the part of a network before evacuation
or dilution has required,
may be diverted from the evacuated or diluted part of the network according to
a method which uses
fictitious time dependent travel time on the evacuated or diluted part of the
network. According to such
embodiments, mapped and predicted time dependent travel times on the part of
the network that should be
evacuated or diluted, may artificially be adapted to prevent or dilute entries
of non authorized vehicles to
the evacuated or diluted part of the network. In this respect, travel times on
links that are related to a part
of a network under evacuation may be changed artificially to high travel time
costs that prevent assignment
of paths by coordination control processes to non authorized vehicles, outside
the evacuated part of the
network, to enter the evacuated part of the network. In case which refers to
dilution of a part of a network,
the travel time costs of links on such part of the network may be adapted
artificially to an allowable level
of traffic entry to the diluted part of the network. In order to have control
on the allowable level the time,
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costs should be adapted dynamically according to developed alternatives on the
network and according to
the dynamic freedom degrees on the network for allowed entries to the diluted
part of the network.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a diluted
part of the
network which may refer to a part of the network to which evacuated vehicles
are guided, and which part
of the diluted network includes the destinations of the evacuated vehicles.
According to some embodiments,
the evacuated and the diluted parts of the network are divided into sectors,
possibly overlapped sectors,
enabling the evacuated traffic to be distributed within the evacuated and the
diluted parts of the network
enabling to shorten the evacuation time under said fairness constraint. DTA
based simulation of traffic
prediction for a finite time horizon may preferably be long enough to enable
evaluation of the potential
evacuation result, and which weights to time intervals within the time horizon
may preferably be used with
the confidence level in predictions associated with forward time intervals.
(the term simulation used
hereinafter and above may refer to computer simulation).
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a path
control system
which may be expanded to support traffic lights control system, wherein
predicted traffic, which is a result
of a traffic load balancing performed by a path control system according to a
given traffic light timing plan
is transmitted to a traffic light optimization system and which accordingly
the traffic light optimization
system optimizes the timing of the traffic lights timing plan. In turn, the
updated traffic lights timing plan
is transmitted back to the path control system to further perform load
balancing by the path control system
according to the updated traffic lights timing plan. Such an interaction
between a path control system and
a traffic lights optimization system may be performed periodically. A basis to
determine optimization
periods can start from performing such an interaction for each traffic
prediction by a path control system
up to any period which can be based on traffic lights adaptation to the load
balancing applied by the path
control system according to predicted average traffic development along a day,
or along any other period
of time. According to some embodiments, criterion to determine the period of
time may be the stability of
the interaction, wherein too frequent interactions may cause instability in
the coordination control processes
and in the traffic lights control, while less frequent interactions may enable
convergence to lower deviations
from optimal network flow. Empirical trial and error process may enable to
adapt the frequency of the
interactions according to system resources and different levels of dynamics in
the traffic.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise processes
associated with
agents which are preferably performed in parallel at substantially the same
time, that is, a path associated
with a trip is associated with a respective agent, or at least a plurality of
agents utilize available computation
power to maximize parallel computation . In this respect, a path associated
with a trip is associated with an
agent which may for example refer to an agent associated with a plurality of
trips.
According to some demonstrative embodiments, said expansion may further
comprise links on the
network for which load balancing is applied and which links are links on the
network that exclude minor
roads or roads with minor traffic. The aim of using a diluted network in this
respect is to reduce computation
power related to path calculations on the network for path controlled trips.
With such an approach path
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calculations for load balancing may avoid a need for coordination of paths on
links which won't worth to
be considered for load balancing as described above.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise a system
which provides
driving navigation service, and which served by a path control system,
calculates a path for a trip according
to a request from a DNA, and then, if the path refers to a part of the network
which is served by the path
control system, then the system which provides driving navigation service
transmits to the path control
system, in case of for example an entry to a path controlled region, the
estimated entry time, entry position
and destination with respect to the path controlled served region to the path
control system. In case that the
vehicle has an origin in the served region or should (preferably) just pass
through the served region, while
the destination is outside the served region, then a position that relates to
destination is transmitted to the
path control system enabling the path control system to decide on preferred
exit from served region by a
path controlled trip. Transmitted destination should preferably be associated
with time dependent arrival
position to the served region which may refer to time dependent position
related information for a delayed
entry of a trip to the part of the network which is served by predictive path
control. A delayed entry of a
trip to a served region by path control may refernot only to a trip which
departs from a position which is
outside of a region which is served by a path control system and which
anticipated to enter a region which
is served by path control at an anticipated time but also to a pre-schuled
trip which may depart from a
position within the served region.
According to some embodiments, a said expansion may further comprise
optimization of degrees
of freedom on a network for load balancing wherein optimization may optimize
traffic dilution generated
by road toll charging, and wherein the determination of the level of the
charged toll is performed according
to analysis of the contribution of the traffic dilution to improved flow on a
network which is generated by
for example the said path control ststem. According to an analysis, toll
charge values may for example be
determined to provide optimal degrees of freedom on the network enabling to
apply most efficient
coordination control processes. Toll charge values which affect the efficiency
of a load balancing control
processes may use flow trend criteria in order to be optimized. In this
respect, if an increase in the flow on
the network is a result of an increase in the toll charged values, locally or
globally, then further respective
increase in the value of the toll is evaluated and so forth. If an increase in
the charged value reduces the
flow, then a reduction in the toll charge values may be applied. With such
approach a search for optimal
flow may be obtained for load balancing under local or global demand control.
In order to prevent negative
responses from the public to changes in the toll charged values, there is a
possibility to evaluate the potential
increase or decrease in the flow according to simulated increase and decrease
in the demand and accordingly
to identify trends in flow. According some embodiments, value of travel time
related criteria may be added
to the flow trend criteria, wherein, according to different periods of time
priority may be provided to
different zones or roads or sections of roads to optimize local flow according
to toll charge values. In this
respect, if according to the simulation, the cost of the flow in terms of
value of time may be reduces to
certain zones or roads by differentiations in demand control, then priority
according to value of time may
be used to determine local toll charge values. As a result, there is a
possibility that in order to minimize
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cost of flow in terms of value of time the overall flow on the network might
not be maximized while value
of travel time criteria are added. An example in which priority might be
considered relates to zones and
access to zones where the value of travel time is more costly. With such a
view, it is valuable according to
some embodiments to consider with implementation of load balancing a dormant
road toll infrastructure
which may motivate high usage of controlled trips by a "carrot and stick"
means, wherein toll is executed
if a vehicle avoids contribution to load balancing and if further dilution in
traffic is required then discounted
toll can be applied for optimizing economical benefits. This may enable to
control the timing to maximize
flow and economical benefits by load balancing which is supported by positive
and negative incentives to
use path controlled trips. Which such an approach there is a possibility to
substitute a brute force road toll
approach by approach that enables to balance between negative incentives of
road toll and positive
incentives provided with privileges to controlled trips. Such a balance may
enable to maintain optimal flow
on the network with respect to an ability to optimize benefits in terms
transportation economics and
sensitivity to the public possible responses.
In the following a description of state estimation and calibration with
respect to provision of remedies to
issues associated with DTA based predictions for traffic while part of the
traffic should be modeled and in
which case there is a need to calibrate in substantially real time the DTA
simulator for and by the models
associated with the DTA simulator (hopefully a rare need while model based
path controlled trips may be
used partially during a period of a transition from non to full usage of
coordinating path controlled trips to
full usage)..
With such approach, physical phenomena and human related behavior of non
controlled trips are
modeled by a DTA enabling some level of realistic predictions to evaluate the
potential effect of a control
trips in a finite time horizon within a rolling horizon. Under model
predictive control approach, which
predictive coordination control processes apply, the partial model based trips
should be calibrated according
traffic related information (preferably flow related data) by joint/dual state
estimation with respect to the
DTA demand state vector (hidden variables) and parameters of the models
(hereinafter and above the term
predictive coordination control processes refer to the term coordination
control processes and which both
may be used interchangeably). Typical division is made between the process
(causation) model of a state
estimation method applied by the zone to zone demand model of a DTA, and a
measurement (effected)
model of a state estimation method applied by the supply model of a DTA.
However, some major issues raise with the calibration of A DTA while major
part of the trips are
modeled and which issues refer to:
a) Very high dimension demand state vector, in case of a city wide homogeneous
networks, makes
the potential quality of state estimation to be a very serious issue to say
the least. In his respect, the
issue is a twofold issue wherein the first issue refers to the need for
high/huge computation power
to cope with estimation which is based on a non linear time varying supply
model and wherein the
second issue is the very limited potential accuracy that may be achieved from
such estimation while
the supply model is further a stochastic model. This simplified description is
further associated
with further issues elaborated hereinafter.
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b) Stochastic route choice model, which is part of a supply model, categorizes
the supply model as a
stochastic model (high dimension probabilistic multi model) which under
recurrent traffic is noisy,
while under non-recurrent traffic (irregularities on the network) is noisy and
biased (due to lack of
a reasonable route choice model for irregular traffic),
c) High coefficient variations associated with high dimension demand state
vector (zone to zone
demand pairs), while a decreases in the dimension increases the size of the
zones and as a result
resolution of traffic simulations, maintaining in both cases limited accuracy
to say the least.
d) Time varying non linear supply model adds another obstacle to an ability to
calibrate at a high
resolution a DTA simulator. In this respect, the non linearity of the supply
model is a dynamic
which puts a limit on a possibility to decrease the state time interval in
order to reduce coefficient
variations associated with the zone to zone demand state vector, in order to
gain higher resolution
in traffic predictions which in turn enables more efficient and more robust
predictive control.
e) High cost infrastructure, required with high quality flow related field
measurements at high
coverage on a city wide network - in order to enable from measurements part
point of view potential
calibration at acceptable quality (if other issues would have been resolved),
puts a high economical
barrier towards implementation of high quality DTA calibration in real time.
0 Lack of covariance elements (required with variance-covariance matrix) for
the estimation of the
state vector and further covariance elements required with joint estimation of
demand state vector
and supply model parameters,
g) Traffic information about irregularities provided to drivers by different
private and public entities
is counterproductive to determination of route choice model.
h) Dilution of network links in order to reduce the dimension of DTA
calibration may become a non
linear, noisy and costly issue. With respect to non linearity and noise,
demand prediction are based
on statistical models while non linear flow entries and exits from/to the
diluted part of the network
are at best case might be biased and noisy whereas in the worst case biased
and very noisy (in case
of entries and exits from/to small links). With respect to the cost, high cost
flow related sensors to
measure flow related entries and exits make such a solution costly.
i) Decomposition of the DTA calibration applying distributed state estimation,
in order to cope by
feasible computation power with reasonable dimension of a demand state vector
estimation, raise
not just a non linear demand prediction issue on the borders of decomposed
parts of the network,
but also an issue of convergence due to interrelated effects among state
estimations applied for
different parts of the decomposed network. This raises an issue of iterative
state estimation in order
to enable reductions of interrelated estimation errors which under real time
constraints is expected
to leave the demand state estimation erroneous (the issue of non linear time
varying stochastic
supply model is not vanished by such approach and in this case the issue has
further chained effect
on interrelated parts of the network).
j) Lack of high quality traffic data, which due to high cost of traffic
counting sensors may not be
expected to enable high coverage and which raises the issues mentioned with
diluted network.
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Alternative sources for demand data, for example, from external sources such
as tracked cell-
phones by mobile network operators, are non predictive (delayed) and are not
reliable for robust predictive
control; wherein as long as a vehicle has not arrived to its destination
respective demand should still be
estimated (no magic solution is expected in this respect). Furthermore,
ambiguities about location and
number of cell-phones per vehicle makes such data non reliable for robust DTA
calibration and, therefore,
an operation which should guarantee robust path controlled trips may not be
acceptable based on such data.
Bi- directional DSRC infrastructure, which may be considered as another
alternative to generate
demand data, suffers also from non predictive demand data but in comparison to
the former approach it
may be expanded to gather predictive demand from DNAs. However such
infrastructure is very costly and
therefore may not be expected to provide high coverage on a network, and as a
result, may support at most
a diluted network which may not enable to apply robust predictive path control
as mentioned in "h".
Car plate identification, which theoretically may apply a functionality of
unidirectional DSRC, is
not a predictive solution and suffers, in addition of a need to consider
diluted network due to high costs,
from big brother syndrome.
Recent concept considering low cost Bluetooth traps to count vehicles on roads
and in intersections,
are applicable if cell phones are used with open Bluetooth, however, such
approach is not predictive and
suffers from small sampled non predictive demand data and from ambiguities
about number of cell phones
in a vehicle and, therefore, may not enable to contribute to robust predictive
path control.
This maintains the issue of a need to apply state estimation, while
traditional approaches of state
estimation are not able to cope with the mentioned issues, if the relative
share of path controlled trips on
the network is not very high. Examples of known methods which have considered
to be able to cope with
some of the mentioned issues are not generic solutions and may refer to:
1) Combination of off line and on line state estimation such as LimKF, which
presents an approach
for reducing the on line computation power by pre-prepared off-line data, may
not enable to cope
with dynamic derivatives expected in typical urban traffic (actually LimKF
implements a sort of
steady state Kaman Filter which may not be applicable for time varying
derivatives associated with
a non linear system).
2) Combination of SPSA with EKF may not guarantee acceptable number of
converging iterations
for high dimension state vector estimation with respect to affordable
computation power and may
not vanish the issues associated with the stochastic nature of a supply model
which should be a
simplified model as well in order to cope with run time issues.
Therefore it may be critical to address the above mentioned issues by a more
generic and robust
approach, wherein the most attractive approach in this respect is to encourage
the use of path controlled
trips preferably under the supervision of authorities in order to avoid or at
least minimize the effect of state
estimation issues, that is, minimizing the dependency of traffic prediction on
state estimation and avoiding
or at least minimizing the stochastic effect of the route choice model on
predictions. Generating high share
of path control usage on a network may solve the above mentioned issues which
raise another issue of a
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need to apply incentives to encourage high usage. Incentive in this respect
should preferably consider a
platform which may provide a vision which may enable ultimate optimization of
the network, enable high
acceptance and be a relatively low cost solution.
Such a solution may start with free of charge road-tolling that further may,
according to a need, be
expanded to discounted tolling which enables to optimize the ratio between
traffic demand and freedom
degrees on a network, wherein a relatively low cost solution in this respect
is GNSS tolling concept which
further creates a vehicular platform that under marginal upgrade may enable to
apply robust predictive path
control based on authentic data which is gathered from expanded vehicular GNSS
tolling system and which
may include: predictive demand, predictive routes (paths) and accurate traffic
data, which is gathered
anonymously; and which further said optimization of the traffic on the network
may be supported by longer
time horizon predictive demand based on implementation of prescheduled trips.
In case that prescheduled
trips are not applied, or partially applied, then long term predictions of
demand may preferably apply
progressively increased time intervals for prediction in the prediction
horizon which improves the reliability
of predictions but limits the resolution of discrete demand predictions, e.g.,
with usage of time series
analysis methods.
In this respect, increased confidence reduces the resolution of zone to zone
demand while tradeoff
has to be considered between positive effect of lower demand resolution on
demand prediction and its
negative effect on network traffic flow prediction by the supply model. With
such an approach "K means
clustering" method, for example, can support zone to zone resolution changes
under required constraints.
According to some embodiments, prior knowledge about expected exceptional
demand can be used to
enable earlier reaction and more reliable demand predictions. According to
some embodiments, demand
based on classified vehicles may further be used to predict demand based on
the current and historical mix
of classes of vehicles with respect to zone to zone demand pairs. That is,
enabling fusion of multi time
series analysis according to one or more classes for a zone to zone demand
pair, while providing weight to
each time series analysis result in the fusion process.
Acceptance of such approach, may not be avoidable if robust non discriminating
and most efficient
predictive path control is considered. However such approach may guarantee
high acceptance in case that
robust privacy preservation of trip details may be guaranteed, and for which
some embodiments provide an
innovative solution. In case that the usage level of path controlled trips
might still not be sufficient (which
under the suggested concept of tolling privileges may doubtfully have a case),
the lack of sufficient demand
related data may require to be complemented by innovative methods that provide
remedies to the issues
mentioned with on-line state estimation and calibration of a DTA that is based
on sampled traffic and partial
demand data.
According to some embodiments, the dimension of a demand state vector in this
respect may be
reduced by a few orders of magnitude if according to empirical study there is
a substantial time dependent
stationary random split distribution of zone to other zones demand of trip
pairs associated with zones on
the network. Such a phenomenon is known as quasi dynamic demand which was
discovered by empirical
studies. According to conditions of quasi dynamic demand time intervals
associated with a zone, some or
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all of the zones in the demand model may be used as elements of the state
vector instead of zone to zone
demand of trip pairs. In this respect the generated traffic by a zone, which
has inherent probabilistic
destination choice model, has to be estimated as the demand in the state
vector. That is, traditional demand
of zone to zone demand of trip pairs is converted into quasi dynamic demand of
zones in state vector which
enables to reduce the dimension drastically. This in turn, expands the route
choice model by probabilistic
split associated with a quasi dynamic demand from the zone to destination
zones (hereinafter, quasi
dynamic zone). For example, if there are 300 zones in a medium size city, then
the number of potential
active zone to zone demand of trip pairs should have been 300 multiplied by
299 which produces a figure
close to a 5 order figure, and if in an extreme case the state vector can be
constructed of 300 quasi dynamic
zones then it may reduce the dimension of a state vector by 3 orders. However,
the stochastic level of the
DTA in such a case increases by the probabilistic splits associated with quasi
dynamic zones and therefore
the gain from dimension reduction in the state vector has a cost in a need to
increase the simulation runs of
the prediction phase in the state estimation in order to maintain acceptable
(averaged) estimation of the
demand. The increase in simulation runs may have high cost in computation
power, while still leaving open
the issue of lack of inter zone related covariance (similar to lack of inter
related covariance among zone to
zone demand of trip pairs) in the state vector. This method, might contribute
to a more acceptable state
estimation due to reduced computation power, for example, in comparison to
Extended Kalman Filter
(EKF). However a transition toward Monte Carlo simulation involvement in
conjunction with EKF or UKF,
or maybe toward a use of an ensemble Kaman Filter, increases the stochastic
issue and as a result limits the
potential accuracy of the demand estimation with respect to non sufficient
computation power.
However the benefits of using quasi dynamic zones to estimate the demand is
justified not just by the
reduction in computation power, in comparison to pure zone to zone demand of
trip pairs, but also by the
ability;
= to overcome coefficient variation issues associated with the state
vector, and
= to reduce the level of network decomposition required with large networks
for which distributed and
iterative state estimation is required to reduce interrelated errors among
state estimation performed in
parallel on adjacent sub networks.
According to an embodiment, reducing the effect of the stochastic issue on
traffic predictions may be
performed by adding a Monte Carlo DTA post process to the state estimation,
wherein according to an
updated state vector, produced for example by an average of a plurality of
state estimates while using Monte
Carlo DTA runs, the Monte Carlo DTA post process searches for a seed or a
plurality of seeds that according
to acceptable confidence may best match current field measurements, and then
uses the matched seed or
the plurality of seeds to synthesize traffic predictions for path control;
wherein a plurality of seeds enable
to average traffic predictions. In this respect reduced number of more
relevant runs of a stochastic DTA
simulator may be used for predictions.
Such an approach may further support a certain level of irregularities in
traffic as well, where more
suitable seeds are used to overcome deviations from typical traffic under non
major irregularities. Major
irregularities may require identification of the location and size of
irregularity and accordingly apply
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changes in the route choice and in network capacity models. Identification of
irregular traffic location(s)
and mapping respective development of queues may be found in prior published
patents of the inventor of
the present invention, describing queue mapping methods. According to some
embodiments of the present
invention, subject to identified location of a front end of a queue, the
length of the queue, and preferably
arrival and departure rates from a queue which develops on a network, temporal
capacity correction is made
to a respective location on the network, by rerunning the DTA supply model
according to the estimated
time in which the DTA flow has deviated from the field flow according to field
measurements. With such
a case, updates that were made to the demand state estimation under traffic
irregularity, which wasn't
identified at the time of the update, should preferably be re-updated by a
post state estimation process
according to temporal changes made to capacities of network links, and
preferably according to respective
changes to parameters of the route choice model to short term reaction of
drivers to traffic loads on the
network. Traffic information about irregularities provided to drivers not
under path control may be
counterproductive to the calibration of the DTA supply models, which provide
another incentive to apply
path control which is under the supervision and promotion of the authorities.
Preferably under supervised conditions, a stochastic DTA, used by the
prediction phase of state
estimation for a plurality of runs may preferably use a weighted average to
determine average prediction
for the correction phase to be used, for example, by EKF, and may expanded
further, for example, to
Ensemble Kaman Filter.
According to some embodiments, a further improvement in a dement state vector
estimation can
take benefit of a piecewise estimation. In this respect, piecewise refers to
piecewise linear relation
constructed for non linear relation between the state vector and corrected
output from a measurement model
according to field measurements. With such an approach, a state time interval,
which for example may be
long enough to enable sufficient reduction in coefficient variation of a state
vector, and which might be too
long to avoid time varying non linearity of the DTA supply model, can't be
represented by a single
observation matrix with a functionality similar to the functionality of an
observation matrix used by for
example a Kalman Filter (and even by a single observation matrix of
derivatives as used for example by
EKF). In order to overcome this issue, according to some embodiments, multi
time related inverse or pseudo
inverse observation matrixes are used as a chain to represent piecewise
backward linear relation between
the state vector and corrected output from a measurement model according to
field measurements. In this
respect, the state estimation time interval is divided into multiple intra
time intervals which each of them
may be short enough to enable piecewise linearization by construction of a
chain of observation matrixes
for intra time intervals and which each observation matrix is converted into
an inverse or pseudo inverse
observation matrix for back propagating corrected output from a measurement to
a state vector update.
Each inverse or pseudo inverse observation matrix which refers to an intra
time interval, and which is not
the latest intra time interval in the state estimation time interval, is used
to back propagate simulated
measurements corrected according to field measurements, to prior intra time
interval. Such back
propagation is performed within the time related inverse or pseudo inverse
observation matrixes used as a
chain to represent piecewise backward relation which converts gradually
corrected output from a
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measurement model according to field measurements to a state vector update.
With such an approach the
units of the measurements should be the same as the units of the state vector.
According to some embodiments, such a process may be performed for a plurality
of DTA runs
which represent the stochastic nature of the measurements of the supply model
in order to correct the
demand state vector according to average demand estimation. According to such
embodiments, the variance
or variance-covariance matrix of the state vector may be propagated forward
for each of the selected runs
which represent the stochastic nature of the measurements of the supply model
in order to assimilate field
measurements (correct DTA simulated measurements). Back propagation of
corrected variance or variance-
covariance matrix may not be needed if the state vector is Poison distributed
and only the propagated
variance of the state vector is used with assimilation of field measurements,
since in Poison distribution the
correction to average values of the state vector determines respective
variances.
According some embodiments, the average of the plurality of DTA runs which
represent the
stochastic nature of the measurements of the supply model is used with average
time related inverse or
pseudo inverse observation matrixes applying a chain to represent piecewise
backward relation which
converts gradually corrected output from a measurement model, according to
field measurements, to
corrected average values of the state vector.
Correction to the output of a measurement model according to field
measurements is preferably
performed by optimal weighted sum of field and simulated measurements where
each measurement is
weighted by the inverse of its uncertainty and where such optimal estimate is
used for example with MMSE
optimal estimation or Weighted Least Squares Estimation based methods.
A more accurate but more complex approach may use inverse DTA supply model,
instead of
inverse or pseudo inverse observation matrixes, which makes piecewise approach
to be redundant.
According to some embodiments, the piecewise state estimation of a demand
state vector is expanded to
overlapped piecewise state estimation of the demand state vector, where a
piecewise state estimation of the
demand state vector is performed by overlapped state estimation time
intervals, whereby subsequent state
estimation time intervals overlap in their intra time intervals except of two
intervals which are, for example,
the last intra time interval of the latest piecewise estimation time interval
and the first intra time interval of
the prior estimation time interval. With such an approach more frequent
estimations can be obtained while
enabling state estimation time interval with lower coefficient variations in
the demand state vector.
According to some embodiments, joint smoothing and overlapped piecewise state
estimation of the
demand is performed, where back propagated measurements in intra time
intervals of the current state
estimation enable to improve prior state vector updates by current back
propagated and corrected
measurements for respective intra time intervals in overlapped state
estimation. Such a smoothing process
may improve prior updates of overlapped state estimates by optimal weighted
sum of field and simulated
measurements where each measurement is weighted by the inverse of its
uncertainty and where such
optimal estimate preferably uses Weighted Least Squares Estimation approach.
This approach may enable
to improve prior measurement corrections for prior intra time intervals based
on new back propagated
measurements correction updates.
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According to some embodiments, a second phase or an iterative process of
piecewise state
estimation may be used to smooth non linear beaks in piecewise linear chain of
inverse or pseudo inverse
observation matrixes, which is a result of bias corrections to the inverse or
pseudo inverse observation
matrixes after correction of measurements according to field measurements,
where a second phase or an
iteration in an iterative process enables progressively to reproduce back
propagated state estimation with
less non linear breaks (jumps) in chained inverse observation matrixes.
In addition to the advantage of using piecewise approach to enable higher time
interval of state
estimation, which in turn enables to reduce the coefficient variation of the
updated state vector, the
piecewise approach may further enable to increase the state estimation time
interval to reduce ambiguity in
correction of demand state vector comprised of elements of zone to zone demand
of trips constructing high
variation in lengths among trips. In this respect, a too short state
estimation time interval may leave
ambiguity in the correction phase among trips which are longer than the state
estimation time interval. This
raises a new issue of too long state estimation time interval that generates
higher accumulated error due to
the increase in the number of intra time intervals respectively. In such a
case the alternative of using quasi
dynamic zones, as variables of the demand state vector, may enable to shorten
the state estimation time
interval while reducing the issue of ambiguity in correction of long trips due
to the probabilistic splits
toward destinations associated with quasi dynamic zones.
If quasi dynamic conditions may not be applied to all zones then, according to
an embodiment, an
overlapped combination of short and long state estimation may be applied in
order to enable, on one hand,
demand predictions under quasi stationary conditions by relatively short state
time intervals, and ,on the
other hand, to cope with ambiguity of state estimation due to long trips by
long state time intervals. During
the short state estimation time intervals the latest update according to long
trips may be used. The criteria
to determine time length for short and long intervals may take into account
the potential reduction in the
weight of potential errors due to slower updates for long trips.
Demand estimation in conditions where a share of the vehicles may provide
traffic related field
measurements to be assimilated by state estimation for the correction of a
demand state vector, should
preferably rely on traffic flow related data constructed by for example the
share of vehicles that are using
path controlled trips. Flow related data may enable to reduce inaccuracies in
the correction phase of demand
state estimation in comparison to measurements such as velocities.
The issue in a case where velocities are used as measurements is that a DTA
simulator may provide
typical velocity measurements according to simulated flow densities on links,
while field measurements
which are relying on limited or on a too small number of vehicles, may not
reflect typical velocities
according to flow densities. This issue becomes a more significant issue in
urban areas wherein significant
part of the traffic is characterized by queues for which velocity related
measurements may not be suitable
to adjust simulation flows by demand corrections.
Therefore, if the share of vehicles that may provide varying position related
data for field
measurements is too small to be used for flow measurements, then according to
some demonstrative
embodiments it may be valuable to use two means that may reduce this problem.
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According to some embodiment, the first means that enables to produce flow
based field
measurements is queue mapping which enables to provide link flow related data
as field measurements
according to expected density of vehicles in mapped length of a queue; and
which further mapping of arrival
rate to the queue and departure rate from the queue may enable to predict the
length development of the
queue; and which a queue mapping process is based on position related data
gathered from probe vehicles
providing to the queue mapping process position related data; and which the
queue mapping process may
use processes of queue mapping described in prior published patents of the
inventor of the present invention
with improvements according to some demonstrative embodiments of the present
invention.
According to some embodiments, an improvement to queue mapping method,
described in prior
published patents of the inventor of the present invention, may take benefit
of DTA simulations used with
demand state estimation. According to prior published patents of the inventor
of the present invention there
is a possibility to map the length, the arrival rate and the departure rate of
queues by a small percentage of
vehicles in the traffic which provide position related data for a queue
mapping process. According to such
a method, estimated length of a queue can be mapped for example by reports of
positions from vehicles,
wherein a queue mapping process which receives the positions may map queues
along one or more time
synchronized position related record reports provided by probe vehicles,
wherein reports of synchronized
positions which may suffer from communication delays should not affect
negatively the queue mapping at
substantially real time, and wherein:
= the length of a queue is determined according to farthest position out of
position reports during one
or more substantially synchronized reporting times, and wherein,
= the number of the substantially synchronized records is determined
according to an estimated
percentage of vehicles that statistically may take share in said position
related data reporting for a
mapped queue, that is, the share of the reports in the queue is not the
criteria to determine the
number of the substantially synchronized records, but the percentage of
vehicles that statistically
may have a possibility to take share in the reports during the substantially
synchronized reporting
times.
Position related data may refer to the distance of a reporting vehicle from
the head (front end) of a
queue which requires that a reporting vehicle will have a road map means to
determine distance from the
head (front end) of a queue.
According to simulation results, published in prior patents of the inventor of
the present invention,
in case that the percentage of potential reporting vehicles in a queue is 3
percent then the number of
synchronized reporting times which minimizes the error in the queue length is
5. Another example is a case
of 5 percent of potential reporting vehicles in a queue for which the number
of synchronized reporting times
that minimizes the error in the queue length is 3.
With such a method, the percentage of vehicles that statistically may have a
possibility to take share
in the reports during the substantially synchronized reporting times, is
performed according to statistical
methods. However, such methods might under path control, which applies
predictive control in a non linear
network response to dynamic flow, to be non reliable or not sufficiently
reliable while using probe vehicles
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which are guided by path controlled trips. In this respect the non linear
effect limits the time interval in
which statistical methods may be sufficiently reliable, that is, under wide
sense (quasi) stationary flow and
some prior assumption about the probability distribution function to estimate
the percentage of vehicles
that statistically may take share in said position related data reporting for
a mapped queue which under non
linear dynamic effects may be changed at a level which can't be ignored.
Therefore, the said percentage of vehicles that may have statistically a
possibility to take share in
the reports during the substantially synchronized reporting times, is
substituted according to some
embodiments of the present invention to be estimated according to the DTA
simulation during, for example,
DTA run(s) that produce traffic predictions after demand estimation. That is,
vehicles which are using path
controlled trips and are simulated by the DTA, and which such vehicles provide
position related data reports
for a queue mapping process, are used according to the DTA simulation to
estimate the percentage of
vehicles that may have a possibility to take share in the reports during the
substantially synchronized
reporting times for a queue mapping.
According to such embodiments, a new term which refers to vehicles that may
expected to have a
possibility to take share in the reports, according to DTA simulated flow,
substitutes the referred vehicles
that may statistically have a possibility to take share in reports of position
related data for a mapped queue.
According to some embodiments, vehicles that may expected to have a
possibility to take share in
reports for queue mapping on a link of the network, may use according to DTA
simulated flow, short term
history of records of the share of such vehicles in the flow (hereinafter
"share of records") in an accepted
(relevant) time interval according to the stability of path control effects on
the link, and which the length
of the history of records is determined accordingly. According to some
embodiments, in order to provide
more relevant vehicles that might be expected to have a possibility to take
share in the reports, according
to DTA simulated flow, the above process may refer to historical as well as to
predicted share records
according to DTA prior demand estimation runs and according to recent DTA
prediction, wherein the share
of time interval to be used with historical and predicted vehicles may be
determined according to the
confidence in the weight in the predictions which is a result of the path
control stability effect on the link.
In case of high stability the share of the predicted and the historical share
of records may be equal. With
such an approach, there is a possibility to overcome the inherent inaccuracy
in time delayed average which
is a result of averaging records of vehicles that may expected to have a
possibility to take share in the
reports according to DTA simulated flow, while using historical share of
records for averaging more
relevant vehicles that may expected to have a possibility to take share in the
reports according to DTA
simulated flow.
The issue that may arise in such case relates to the reliability of the queue
length estimate, based
on the estimated average share of expected reporting vehicles while the DTA
and the demand estimation
are deviated from the real traffic and traffic demand.
In case that load balancing which is maintained by path control may guarantee
non major deviations
then the approach may expected to be productive.
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The approach of estimating the share of expected reporting vehicles, may
according to some
embodiments be applied to estimate arrival rate to a queue according to the
DTA simulation, wherein the
share of records are substituted by records of the sum of all vehicles for
respective time intervals.
According to some embodiments mapped queues may be used as field measurements
to correct
according to state estimation the demand state vector by evaluating flows
according to expected densities
in a queue.
According to some embodiments, the second means to overcome the deficiency of
a small share of
vehicles which may provide position related data for field measurements, is to
use flow related field
measurements such as sensors and cameras; wherein major network junctions may
preferably be monitored
with an ability to determine the traffic flow spits among links from each of
the links in a junction. According
to such field measurements the pre and the post Monte Carlo processes may
filter out non relevant runs of
a DTA during demand state estimation. In this respect accepted DTA runs may
refer to acceptable match
between field measured splits and simulated splits; wherein the number of
Monte Carlo runs may be
determined dynamically, that is, required number of runs for required
confidence in the demand estimation
may count on acceptable number of runs that may acceptably be used according
to a match between
simulated spits and measured spits, for example, according to acceptable
confidence interval as a result of
stochastic DTA runs. According some embodiments, acceptable number of DTA runs
may be used
according to weighted average to estimate the demand state vector by for
example EKF, UKF and its
variants or by Ensemble Kalman Filter.
According to some embodiments, separated secured access to car identification
and to trip details
is applies by a toll charging center, enabling to void storage of trip details
in a toll charging center and to
prevent single source access to in-vehicle data.
According to such embodiments, when in-car authentication facility provides
real authentication
characteristic to a toll charging center, through communication means, it
shares respectively a non car
identification characteristic, but a respective unique characteristic, with
the system which provides path
control to the car and with the toll charging center. The non car
identification characteristic is first shared
by the in-car authentication facility and the system which provides the path
controlled trip, and then it is
shared with the toll charging center. This enables the toll charging center to
associate path controlled trip
with real authentication of the vehicle according to non car identification
characteristic associated, on the
one hand, with real and non real authentication characteristic and path
controlled trip identity (received by
the toll charging center from the in car authentication facility), and on the
other hand with the path
controlled trip details and respective real and non real authentication
characteristics received by the toll
charging center from an in car authentication facility. According to some
embodiments, privacy
preservation of trip details, in addition to cost reduction of fixed
infrastructure which should identify and
locate vehicles independently of the provision of path controlled trips, may
be applied with a system which
supports in car toll charging units and related methods for free of charge
toll or toll discount to encourage
the use of path controlled trips as described with some embodiments. With such
a system association of
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trip details with car identification is maintained in the in-car toll charging
unit which under the control of a
driver may be transmitted according to a need to a toll charging center for
example if there is a special need.
According to some embodiments, free of charge toll or toll discount which
encourages usage of
path controlled trips, preferably apply methods described by some embodiments,
which may further
improve updates of a road-book database, and which methods to improve updates
includes inter-alia data
related to traffic lights and signposts along roads and in intersections and
their positions, and which such
data is transmitted autonomously by vehicles for further updates which enable
in-vehicle localizations on
road maps according to in-vehicle sensor measurements.
In this respect, improved updates to a road book refers to updating changes in
a road-book database
by fusion of data which is generated by sensors of multiple vehicles . Sensors
in this respect may include
but not be limited to RADAR and/or Camera and/or Laser scanner to measure
distance and space angle of
an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. Said object may include but not be
limited to road-book databases
elements, such as traffic lights and signposts, vehicles and/or passengers.
The higher the density of the vehicles on roads the higher is the accuracy of
such an approach,
wherein according to some embodiments incentives provided to encourage usage
of such vehicles. For
example, provision of free of charge toll or toll discount may be used to
encourage usage of autonomous
vehicles in order to generate robust safety related data by fusion of multiple
vehicle positioning related
data.
According to some embodiment a central process applies the fusion according to
said updates of
new road-book database elements generated by vehicles.
According to some embodiments, methods that can be used for said fusion may
include weighted
average, such as can be applied by weighted least square based methods.
According to some embodiments, GNSS RTK based positioning of vehicles are used
to locate some
road book elements which can be used further as a reference for positioning of
other elements to be updated
in a road-book database.
According to some embodiments, the method of updating a new fixed element in a
road-book
database by a plurality of vehicles may be expanded to enable cooperative
positioning of moving vehicles,
wherein errors in measurement are expected to increase due to the motion of
the measured target and the
measuring source which makes the positioning issue worse in comparison to a
case of positioning a fixed
object such as a signpost.
According to some embodiments, a method associated with functionality of a
combined in-vehicle
toll changing and path control supporting unit - includes predetermined
procedure to perform privileged
tolling transaction with a toll charging center, while non exposing trip
details, and to updating a path control
system with data enabling robust path control performance, the method
comprising:
a. Receiving by said in-vehicle unit functionality data associated with time
related varying
positions of a path which should be developed according to dynamic updates to
an in-vehicle
driving navigation aid, wherein the received data may either be direct or
indirect data and
wherein indirect data may be may include dynamically assigned paths according
to which the
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in-vehicle unit functionality determines the time related varying positions of
a path which
should be developed according to dynamic updates to an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid,
b. Tracking and storing positions along a trip by said in-vehicle unit
functionality,
c. Comparing by said in-vehicle unit functionality said tracked time related
positions by the in-
vehicle apparatus with time related positions associated with said path that
should be developed
according to updates to the driving navigation aid,
d. Determining by said in-vehicle unit functionality, according to a level of
a match, privilege
related toll charging data which may refer to confirmed free of charge toll or
privileged toll or
full toll charge or unknown toll related conditions, without trip details
e. Transmitting by said in-vehicle unit functionality by an IP address
associated with the in-
vehicle unit functionality a message which is characterized by being vehicle
identifying and
not trip identifying toll charging related data message, wherein the IP
address differs from an
IP address that is associated with the in-vehicle unit functionality while in-
vehicle positioning
and/or destination related data is transmitted preferably anonymously.
f. Transmitting by said in-vehicle unit functionality using an IP address
associated with the in-
vehicle unit functionality vehicle positioning and/or destination related
data, preferably
anonymously, wherein the IP address differs from an IP address that is
associated with the in-
vehicle unit functionality while in-vehicle unit functionality transmits a
message which is
characterized by being vehicle identifying and not trip identifying toll
charging related data
message.
According to some embodiments said in-vehicle unit functionality apparatus
apply the said method
and which apparatus comprises:
a. Mobile internet transceiver,
b. GNSS positioning receiver, or sensor based localization associated with
autonomous vehicles,
c. Processor and memory,
d. Communication apparatus to communicate with an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid.
According to some embodiments, a method associated with functionality of an in-
vehicle toll
changing unit - includes predetermined procedure to perform privileged tolling
transaction with a toll
charging center, while non exposing trip details, the method comprising:
a. Receiving by said in-vehicle unit functionality data associated with time
related varying
positions of a path which should be developed according to dynamic updates to
an in-vehicle
driving navigation aid, wherein the received data may either be direct or
indirect data and
wherein indirect data may be may include dynamically assigned paths according
to which the
in-vehicle unit functionality determines the time related varying positions of
a path which
should be developed according to dynamic updates to an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid,
b. Tracking and storing positions along a trip by said in-vehicle unit
functionality,
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c. Comparing by said in-vehicle unit functionality said tracked time related
positions by the in-
vehicle apparatus with time related positions associated with said path that
should be developed
according to updates to the driving navigation aid,
d. Determining by said in-vehicle unit functionality, according to a level of
a match, privilege
related toll charging data which may refer to confirmed free of charge toll or
privileged toll or
full toll charge or unknown toll related conditions, without trip details,
e. Transmitting by said in-vehicle unit functionality using an IP address
associated with the in-
vehicle unit functionality a message which is characterized by being vehicle
identifying and
not trip identifying toll charging related data message.
According to some embodiments said in-vehicle unit functionality apparatus
apply the said method
and which apparatus comprises:
a. Mobile internet transceiver,
b. GNSS positioning receiver, or sensor based localization associated with
autonomous
vehicles,
c. Processor and memory,
d. Communication apparatus to communicate with an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid.
According to some embodiments, a method associated with functionality of an in-
vehicle toll
changing unit - includes predetermined procedure to perform tolling
transaction with a toll charging center,
while non exposing trip details, the method comprising:
a. Tracking and storing positions along a trip by said in-vehicle unit
functionality,
b. Determining by said in-vehicle unit functionality toll charging data,
c. Transmitting by said in-vehicle unit functionality using an IP address
associated with the in-
vehicle unit functionality a message which is characterized by being vehicle
identifying and
not trip identifying toll charging related data message.
According to some embodiments said in-vehicle unit functionality apparatus
apply the said method
and which apparatus comprises:
a. Mobile internet transceiver,
b. GNSS positioning receiver, or sensor based localization associated with
autonomous vehicles,
c. Processor and memory,
d. Communication apparatus to communicate with an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid.
In general, a path control system may but not be limited to include a non-
transitory machine-
readable storage medium to store logic, which may be used, for example, to
perform one or more operations
and/or at least part of the functionality of one or more elements of described
figures, and/or to perform one
or more operations and/or functionalities, as described above. The phrase "non-
transitory machine-readable
medium" is directed to include all computer-readable media, with the sole
exception being a transitory
propagating signal.
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In some embodiments, a path control system may include one or more types of
computer-readable
storage media capable of storing data, including volatile memory, non-volatile
memory, removable or non-
removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writeable or re-writeable
memory, and the like. For
example, machine-readable storage medium may include, RAM, DRAM, Double-Data-
Rate DRAM
(DDR-DRAM), SDRAM, static RAM (SRAM), ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable
programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM),
Compact Disk
ROM (CD-ROM), Compact Disk Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disk Rewriteable (CD-
RW), flash memory
(e.g., NOR or NAND flash memory), content addressable memory (CAM), polymer
memory, phase-change
memory, ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS)
memory, a disk, a floppy
disk, a hard drive, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a card, a magnetic card,
an optical card, a tape, a cassette,
and the like. The computer-readable storage media may include any suitable
media involved with
downloading or transferring a computer program from a remote computer to a
requesting computer carried
by data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium through
a communication link,
e.g., a modem, radio or network connection.
In some embodiments, a path control system may include instructions, data,
and/or code, which, if
executed by a machine, may cause the machine to perform a method, process
and/or operations as described
herein. The machine may include, for example, any suitable processing
platform, computing platform,
computing device, processing device, computing system, processing system,
computer, processor, or the
like, and may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware,
software, firmware, and the
like.
In some demonstrative embodiments, a path control system may include, or may
be implemented
as, software, a software module, an application, a program, a subroutine,
instructions, an instruction set,
computing code, words, values, symbols, and the like. The instructions may
include any suitable type of
code, such as source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executable code,
static code, dynamic code,
and the like. The instructions may be implemented according to a predefined
computer language, manner
or syntax, for instructing a processor to perform a certain function. The
instructions may be implemented
using any suitable high-level, low-level, object-oriented, visual, compiled
and/or interpreted programming
language, such as C, C++, Java, BASIC, Matlab, Pascal, Visual BASIC, Python,
assembly language,
machine code, and the like.
Functions, operations, components and/or features described herein with
reference to one or more
embodiments, may be combined with, or may be utilized in combination with, one
or more other functions,
operations, components and/or features described herein with reference to one
or more other embodiments,
or vice versa.
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a product of manufacture 200, in accordance
with some
demonstrative embodiments. Product 200 may include one or more tangible
computer-readable non-
transitory storage media 202, which may include computer-executable
instructions, e.g., implemented by
logic 204, operable to, when executed by at least one computer processor,
enable the at least one computer
processor to implement one or more operations at one or more apparatuses
and/or systems, to cause to
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perform one or more operations, and/or to perform, trigger and/or implement
one or more operations,
communications and/or functionalities described above with reference to any of
the figures, and/or one or
more operations described herein. The phrase "non-transitory machine-readable
medium" is directed to
include all computer-readable media, with the sole exception being a
transitory propagating signal. In some
demonstrative embodiments, product 200 and/or storage media 202 may include
one or more types of
computer-readable storage media capable of storing data, including volatile
memory, non-volatile memory,
removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory, writeable
or re-writeable
memory, and the like. For example, machine-readable storage media 202 may
include, RAM, DRAM,
Double-Data-Rate DRAM (DDR-DRAM), SDRAM, static RAM (SRAM), ROM, programmable
ROM
(PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable
ROM (EEPROM),
Compact Disk ROM (CD-ROM), Compact Disk Recordable (CD-R), Compact Disk
Rewriteable (CD-
RW), flash memory (e.g., NOR or NAND flash memory), content addressable memory
(CAM), polymer
memory, phase-change memory, ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-
silicon (SONOS)
memory, a disk, a floppy disk, a hard drive, an optical disk, a magnetic disk,
a card, a magnetic card, an
optical card, a tape, a cassette, and the like. The computer-readable storage
media may include any suitable
media involved with downloading or transferring a computer program from a
remote computer to a
requesting computer carried by data signals embodied in a carrier wave or
other propagation medium
through a communication link, e.g., a modem, radio or network connection. In
some demonstrative
embodiments, logic 204 may include instructions, data, and/or code, which, if
executed by a machine, may
cause the machine to perform a method, process and/or operations as described
herein. The machine may
include, for example, any suitable processing platform, computing platform,
computing device, processing
device, computing system, processing system, computer, processor, or the like,
and may be implemented
using any suitable combination of hardware, software, firmware, and the like.
In some demonstrative
embodiments, logic 204 may include, or may be implemented as, software,
firmware, a software module,
an application, a program, a subroutine, instructions, an instruction set,
computing code, words, values,
symbols, and the like. The instructions may include any suitable type of code,
such as source code, compiled
code, interpreted code, executable code, static code, dynamic code, and the
like. The instructions may be
implemented according to a predefined computer language, manner or syntax, for
instructing a processor
to perform a certain function. The instructions may be implemented using any
suitable high-level, low-
level, object-oriented, visual, compiled and/or interpreted programming
language, such as C, C++, Java,
BASIC, Matlab, Pascal, Visual BASIC, assembly language, machine code, and the
like.
Functions, operations, components and/or features described herein with
reference to one or more
embodiments, may be combined with, or may be utilized in combination with, one
or more other functions,
operations, components and/or features described herein with reference to one
or more other embodiments,
or vice versa.
While certain features have been illustrated and described herein, many
modifications,
substitutions, changes, and equivalents may occur to those skilled in the art.
It is, therefore, to be understood
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that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and
changes as fall within the true
spirit of the disclosure.
Previously described embodiments are widely covering aspects related to robust
and efficient
implementation of predictive traffic load balancing and safe driving,
highlighting privacy preserving
aspects relating to privileged tolling and anonymous operation of navigation
driven traffic load balancing.
However, previous embodiments lack aspects which enable to facilitate public-
private sectors
collaboration under potential conflict of interests wherein resolving such
conflicts require innovative
methods and system configurations.
In this respect commercial driving navigation systems and services, which may
facilitate access of
a predictive controlled load balancing system to an existing operation of
DNAs, may not be interested to
maintain privacy preservations at a level in which public authorities should
be able to guarantee anonymous
path control under said privileged tolling, and further may not find interest
in limiting advertisement related
messages to DNA users which authorities should have interest to limit due to
its potential negative effect
on predictive load balancing at a network level.
Another aspect which previous embodiments are not covering refer to tolerated
reaction to non
obedience to path controlled trip which may be a result of an objective or a
subjective reason which may
preferably be tolerated. A further non covered aspect refers to a need to
protect the load balancing operation
from hostile attack by anonymous faked requests for path-controlled trips
which may harm the traffic load
balancing operation.
With respect to new embodiment described hereinafter, integration of a path
control system with a
commercial Driving Navigation System (DNS) are illustrated in fig. if, fig.lg
and fig. lh according to which
an integrated system may include:
1. A path control center constructed for example of said traffic mapping
layer, said traffic prediction layer,
and said paths planning layer, wherein a Driving Navigation System (DNS) is
used as an agent of the
path control center for providing path control trips to DNAs, and wherein said
usage condition layer
described in said figures is not necessarily considered to be part of the path
control center,
2. A privileged tolling system constructed of a toll charging center, applied
for example by said usage-
condition layer, and complemented by an automatic car plate identification
system and by said in-
vehicle toll charging unit functionality applying GNSS tolling approach with
in-vehicle privacy
preservation while performing tolling transactions.
Such a system configuration is assumed to be able to guarantee high usage of
in-vehicle privacy
preserving path controlled trips associated with privileged tolling
transactions which according to in-
vehicle privacy preserving charging approach hides trip details from a toll
charging center enabling to
maintain robust anonymous provision of path controlled trips without the
weakness associated with
centralized privacy preservation which requires to store charging details,
associated with for example an
identity of a vehicle or a vehicle owner, on a central storage.
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However, a commercial DNS Service (DNSS) operator may not accept, or at least
may not easily
accept, to collaborate with authorities based on anonymous operation -
especially if the DNSS is an
advertisement based operation.
In this respect, integration with a commercially operated DNS service raises a
conflict between a
need to guarantee privacy preserving path control trips by the authorities
under provision of path controlled
trips, and the interest of a commercially operated DNS service to serve
identified users or at least consistent
anonymous identity according to which traveling behavior may be tracked.
Such a conflict might be considered to be resolved with a straightforward
approach by adoption of
an OEM DNS which may provide path controlled trips as an agent of a path
control center, instead of
establishing private-public collaboration using a commercially operated DNSS.
Nevertheless, such a straightforward alternative might lead an operator of a
commercial DNSS to
consider acceptance of constraints with respect to anonymous operation in case
that, for example, potential
compensation for less efficient advertisement may be received as an
alternative by a significant increase
in potential advertisement which might be applicable due to massive usage of
path control trips. However,
this may raise two issues:
a. Anonymity by itself might not be sufficient to guarantee full privacy
preservation under commercially
operated DNSS, that is, there are ways to decipher authentic identities of
vehicles through recurrent
tracked trips with the support of existing databases as further described.
b. Reaction to location based advertisement during trips, which may cause
deviation from a destination
of a path controlled trip, has a negative effect on predictive traffic load
balancing applied by predictive
path control and constraints in this respect might not be acceptable by a DNSS
operator which its
revenues are based on location based advertisement. Nevertheless, some
toleration may be expected
in this respect, at least from the point of view of authorities, wherein the
public that might perceive
some level of advertisement as useful information may be the cause for some
toleration.
With respect to the negative effect of reactions to location based
advertisement, according to some
embodiments, the toleration to such type of advertisement is applied by
limiting the allowable
advertisement operations to a vehicle during a trip, for example according to
demand of authorities, which
may empirically be adapted to acceptable efficiency of the predictive traffic
load balancing. This may but
not be limited to further include other tolerated deviations (i.e.,
disobedience to path controlled trip) which
may relate, for example, to a need of a vehicle to enter into a gas station
and other possible occasional
reasons and which such deviations should preferably be tolerated.
According to some embodiments, deviations associated with different levels of
negative effect on
predictive traffic load balancing (i.e., disobedience to path controlled trip)
are charged by tolling means
through for example said in-vehicle privacy preserving charging approach
applied with a toll charging
system and an in vehicle toll charging unit or unit functionality.
According to some embodiments, tolerated tolling is applied with provision of
tolling credit,
preferably the credit is renewed periodically to each vehicle, for example
each month, each day etc.,
wherein according to such embodiments tolling credit balance notifications are
further provided to drivers,
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for example, after each tolling transaction - according to which a driver may
decide how to use further his
tolling credit if any credit is left.
According to some embodiments charge of credit may or may not differentiate
between deviations
that are the result of reaction to advertisement, wherein deviation due to
location based advertisement may
be identified according to the time related content of advertisement and
tracked reaction to such content.
According to some embodiments, an identified deviation as a result of reaction
to location based
advertisement is treated separately with respect to credit and toll charge.
According to some embodiments, not any deviation (i.e., disobedience to path
controlled trip) is
treated unconditionally by toll charging that preferably is tolerated by said
tolling credit (tolerated tolling).
For example, recurrent situations in which a vehicle has to search for a
parking place in the vicinity of a
destination of a path controlled trip and in which case the vehicle may stop
before reaching his requested
destination or may divert to a place near his requested destination, such
deviation is not charged
unconditionally by tolling.
In this respect, according to some embodiment, if a new request for a path
controlled trip to a new
destination is not performed (substituting a prior destination) while
deviation from a requested destination
of a path controlled trip is performed in the vicinity of the destination,
wherein the range of such vicinity
is determined according to predetermined criteria and preferably notified to
the user of the vehicle, then as
long as the vehicle is within the vicinity it may not be charged by toll or
from said credit.
Moreover, according to some embodiments, a path control center may assign a
destination to a path
controlled trip for a parking purpose according to a request or automatically
(if allowed by the user of the
vehicle, preferably with a limit on the distance from the trip destination
determined for example by the
vehicle user through for example user interface of a DNA or DNA
functionality).
Another example of conditional tolerated toll, according to some embodiments,
is a case according
to some embodiments in which a vehicle did not initiate a request for a path
controlled trip while initiating
a trip and which toleration may refer to a limited part of a network on which
a vehicle should have used a
path controlled trip.
Such a cases may be treated according to some embodiments as a conditional
tolerated tolling
according to which a driver or a user of autonomous vehicle may first be
warned about detection of such
conditions, by for example a toll charging unit or by a further described
expanded types of toll charging
unit, which may detect such conditions. A detection may be performed by
tracking with the in vehicle unit
the travel of the vehicle and determining according to the conditional tolling
entitlement for toleration. In
this respect, after a certain time and/or a certain distance that a vehicle
travels without obeying to a path
controlled trip it starts to be charged by toll and/or from personal
toleration credit.
Further to the potentially resolved issue of a need to enable a commercial
DNSS operator to find
interest in public-private collaboration, by tolerated reaction to location
based advertisement, which may
but not necessarily be accepted by a commercial DNSS operator, there is a
further need under public-
private collaboration to guarantee robust privacy preservation of the
operations wherein a non robust
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anonymous operation may not be guaranteed under integration of a path control
center with a commercial
DNSS.
As mentioned above, the issue relates in this respect to a technical ability
of a DNS to record paths
of trips as part of the provision of assigned paths to path controlled trips,
and accordingly to decipher
indirectly by a DNSS operator authentic identities of vehicles at some level
of confidence according to
potential association of anonymous trip records with personal data from
external databases.
A concrete example in this respect may relate to a possibility to obtain data
by a commercial DNSS
operator from external database about residence location of a vehicle owner
and about his work location,
which data may further be associated at some level of certainty with records
of anonymous recurrent trips,
enabling to decipher accordingly association of an identity with recorded
anonymous trips. A least worth
objective for such association may be the interest to learn about habits
associated with non recurrent trips
used by a vehicle - by tracking further non recurrent trips - which the public
may not accept under non
pure voluntary joining to an operation.
Although such deciphering ability might not necessarily be materialized by a
commercial operator,
such a possibility may not be expected to be accepted by the public.
According to some embodiments, a remedy to such an issue is to deliver
assignedpaths by a path
control system to path controlled trips through a DNS wherein on the DNS, on a
DNA and on a path control
system random access memory (RAM) is used with processes associated with said
delivery and display of
paths on for example a DNA. Preferably other storage than RAM is not used, and
if it is used then the
storage should preferably be a protected storage that should preferably be
erased soon after it is not required
for further control on a path controlled trip.
In case that assigned paths on a RAM may not be considered to be automatically
erased soon after
such data are not needed for control, due to the assumption that dynamic
allocation of memory of an
operating system to other applications on a DNS and on a DNA. erase such data
from RAM, then in case
that said assumption is not trustable such data should according to some
embodiments be erased from the
RAM intentionally.
In order to further prevent screen snapshot hacking of data related to
assigned paths on a smart-
phone by a DNA application, methods such as used for example with Android 6
and more advanced
versions to protect non authorized access to screen memory may be applied.
Supervision by authorities in
this respect may but not be limited to include exposure of the privacy
preserving source code to the
authorities and/or to the public, and/or provision of the application on Upp-
Store to smart-phones by
authorities, and/or exposure of the hardware design of a DNA to the
authorities and/or to the public in case
that for example a non smart-phone DNA is used.
Such Protecting Usage of Assigned Paths, associated with path controlled trips
- whether it is
applied on a DNS and/or a DNA and/or a path control center - is referred
hereinafter as PUAP.
However, supervision by authorities on provision of non stored assigned paths
and according to a
need to erase assigned paths, as well as disabling non authorized access to
such data by other applications
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might not be considered or perceived by the public as a robust solution which
may guarantee that potential
tracking of trips may not be performed by a commercial DNSS operator.
According to some embodiments, a partial remedy to such an issue is to upgrade
a commercial
DNSS by Robust Anonymous Registration (RAR) option, that is, to perform with
each request for a path
controlled trip (or at least to register anonymously per limited number of
trips - with a less robust option)
anonymous registration which applies varying anonymous identities to a
vehicle, disabling with such
approach association of anonymous non-recurrent tracked trips with recurrent
trips which their identities
might be deciphered as mentioned before and which might be performed if the
anonymous identity would
not be changed frequently. In this respect, the term registration is used for
convenience in order to
differentiate RAR related requests from registered user request. However, the
term registration has a
different meaning in this respect as there is no actual traditional
registration associated with said RAR
related requests. In this respect the term RAR might be substituted
hereinafter by a term such as Non
Registration Required Anonymous Request for Path Controlled Trip (NRRAR-PCT).
According to some embodiments, RAR approach is associated at least with PUAP
on DNAs,
enabling to apply less robust privacy preservation approach in comparison to
an approach which applies
RAR and PUAP on the DNS as well, under the supervision of authorities, wherein
the strength of applying
RAR with PUAP on DNAs is in the ability to provide robust protection on
anonymous non recurrent trips.
According to some embodiments, authentication of a vehicle in order to be
allowed to be served by
path controlled trips is applied by said RAR associated with Authentic
Registration Characteristic (ARC)
data, wherein ARC is updated dynamically for example by a daily or an hourly
update, and wherein the
toll charging unit or an expanded toll charging unit may receive an updated
ARC through communication
with a toll charging center. In this respect, the shorter the period of time a
dynamic change to an ARC is
performed (ARC update) the more robust may be the RAR associated with ARC.
According to some
embodiments the updates are secured updates which may reduce potential hostile
anonymous fake RAR
associated with ARC to harm a load balancing operation.
An ARC, stored in a toll charging unit or in an expanded toll charging unit,
may according to some
embodiments be updated according to a request by the toll charging unit or by
an expanded toll charging
unit from a server of a said toll charging center, which first confirms the
authentic identity of a vehicle by
for example car plate number transmitted by the toll charging unit or the
expanded toll charging unit to the
toll charging center and then the ARC is transmitted back or downloaded from
said toll charging center
and stored on the toll charging unit or on the expanded toll charging unit.
According to some embodiments, the data used for authentication, which may be
based for example
on car plate registration number, and/or another/other acceptable
authentication characteristic(s), stored in
or read by toll charging unit or stored in or read by an expanded toll
charging unit, is allowed to be exposed
to said toll charging center and disallowed to be exposed to said path control
center which applied
anonymous operation with path controlled trips.
The ARC, on the other hand, is a non personal identifying characteristic, that
is, a characteristic
which may be associated with a plurality of toll charging units or with a
plurality of expanded toll charging
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units, at the same time, enabling to confirm that the vehicle is certified to
request and be served by path
controlled trips. A complementary process to ARC update in toll charging units
or expanded toll charging
units, is to update the DNS and/or the path control center with ARC as well,
in order to enable
authentication of requests of a vehicle by for example RAR associated with ARC
that further enables the
vehicle to be served by path controlled trips.
Such an update may be performed by transmitting by said toll charging center
updated ARC to a
server of the path control center and according to some embodiments the path
control center transmits
further the ARC to a server of a DNS.
An updated ARC, which is stored in a DNS server, in a path control center and
in toll charging
units or in an expanded toll charging units, enables to apply RAR associated
with ARC by toll charging
unit or by an expanded toll charging unit according to which ARC is
transmitted to a path control center
and/or to a DNS. In this respect, RAR associated with ARC which is initialized
by a toll charging unit or
by an expanded toll charging unit, enables a DNS and/or a path control center
to compare the received
ARC from a toll charging unit or from an expanded toll charging unit with
stored ARC received from said
toll charging center.
According to some embodiments a DNS, as part of a reception of RAR associated
with ARC,
compares updated ARC stored in server of the DNS with the received ARC
associated with RAR and
according to a match the requesting vehicle is allowed to be served
anonymously by the DNS (or directly
by a path control center) preferably through an expanded toll charging unit
which activates in this respect
an in vehicle DNA and which activation related functionality is further
described with some respective
embodiments.
An update of ARC in a server of a path control center may further enable
applying authentication
of data transmitted from a toll charging unit or from an expanded toll
charging unit to a path control center,
as described for example in fig. lc fig. 1 d, fig. le, fig. lg, fig. lh,
fig.3a, fig.3b, fig.3c, and which data may
refer to position update through 222, 218 and 212 and destination update
through 212. In this respect said
ARC associated with transmission of position and/or destination data may
according to some embodiments
be compared with updated ARC stored in a path control server, as part of the
procedure or receiving and
authenticating such data received from toll charging a unit or from an
expanded toll charging unit.
Authentication applied by ARC may be strengthened or be substituted in case
that the
authentication is used to prevent fake (hostile) requests for path controlled
trips which may reduce the
reliability of the path control operation. In this respect tracked positions
through said 222 and/or 218 and/or
212 in fig.lc fig. ld, fig. le, fig.1g, fig.lh, fig.3a, fig.3b, fig.3c, may
enable to detect whether a vehicle
follows the traffic development and not faking obedience to an assigned path
that is expected to be
associated with a path control trip.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, anonymous tracked positions
are compared with
velocities that are developed on a respective link, and if a suspicious
deviation from normal velocity or
lack of compliance with traffic light controlled traffic is detected, then
according to some embodiments
the path control center transmits to the respective toll charging unit or to
the respective expanded toll
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charging unit a message according to which the toll charging unit or the
expanded toll charging unit has to
transmit to an authentication server applied for example with the toll
charging center a request for Robust
Authentication Characteristic (RAC) which message is aimed at confirming
acceptable non identifying
authentication of a vehicle further to ARC.
According to some embodiments, said request for RAC confirmation (wherein
according to some
other embodiments the message includes time related position data which under
course resolution may
refer for example to link related data on which the vehicle travels/traveled
for example at the time of the
request) is transmitted from a toll charging unit or from an expanded toll
charging unit to a toll charging
center. In return said toll charging center transmits time stamped RAC to the
toll charging unit or to the
expanded toll charging unit, and, after the reception, the toll charging unit
or the expanded toll charging
unit transmits to the path control center server the time stamped RAC
anonymously, wherein the time
stamp may be determined by said toll charging center and associated with the
transmitted RAC preferably
with updated ARC.
According to some embodiments, said time stamped anonymous RAC is transmitted
also by said
toll charging center to a path control center server (wherein according to
some other embodiments the
message refers also to said position related data such as link related data of
the vehicle), which such server
or another server of the path control center compares the time stamped RAC
received from the toll charging
unit or from the expanded toll charging unit with said time stamped RAC
received from the toll charging
center, and if a match is found than the vehicle that was requested to confirm
its authentication during a
path controlled trip may further be served by the path controlled trip.
According to some embodiments, in case that a match is not found or a time
stamped RAC is not
received from the toll charging center, then the vehicle is determined as a
fake vehicle by the path control
center and is further ignored by the path control center (or is fed by faked
control data in order not to raise
suspicion about detection of a faked request enabling to reduce the potential
amount of further faked
requests). According to some embodiments if a vehicle is still suspicious as
providing fake positions which
indicate on abnormal behavior, despite of a reception of respective RAC by the
path control center from a
toll charging center and confirmed by comparison of RAC received from a toll
charging unit or an
expanded toll charging unit, for example according to an indication on
velocity which is higher than
expected velocity on highly loaded link, then such vehicle is ignored by the
path control center or is fed
by faked control data in order not to raise suspicion about detection of a
faked request. According to such
embodiments, data associated with authentic identity is recorded in a toll
charging center as part of the
described process enabling to approach an owner of such vehicle for
questioning.
Confirmation of authentication using RAC, applied according to respective
embodiments that are
described above, may hereinafter be referred as Authentication Confirming
Process (ACP).
In order to avoid communication between a path control center and a toll
charging center, an ACP
is activated according to predetermined criteria under conditions in which
there is a significant number of
said suspicious vehicles.
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According to some embodiments, a remedy that enables further to apply robust
protection from
said potential deciphering of identities by a commercially operated DNS,
according to recurrent trips, may
be applied by transmitting encrypted assigned paths for path controlled trip
to a vehicle, by the path control
center, through a DNSS which further on has no access to such decrypted data
in the vehicle. According
to some embodiments, the decryption key for such data is transmitted directly
to an expanded toll charging
unit (which is further described) from a path control center. Preferably
transmission of a decryption key is
performed per trip.
With such approach, the DNS may transmit to a vehicle related data with
respect to a need to
maintain a path controlled trip activity associated with activation of a DNA
application through an
expanded toll charging unit without intervention of another transmitter such
as a path control center
transmitter which otherwise should transmit directly dynamic updated to
assigned paths for and during a
path controlled trip.
Further to applied RAR associated with ARC and further to confirmation of
authentication by ACP
associated with RAC, applying PUAP on a path control center and on DNAs, under
prevention of said
DNS to access a DNAs, may eliminate potential association of recurrent trips
with external data through
said DNS.
According to some embodiments, in addition to authentication of RAR and data
transmitted from
vehicles, privacy preservation of path controlled trips may be divided into
levels of robustness, wherein
according to some embodiments a Robust Anonymous Path Control Service level 1
(RAPCS1) applies:
a. said PUAP of paths assigned to path controlled trips on a path controlled
system and on DNAs, wherein
a DNS may not have access to assigned paths of path controlled trips in the
vehicle,
b. transmission of assigned path for a path controlled trip directly to a
vehicle by the path control center,
or indirectly as encrypted data through a DNS, wherein in case of encryption
the encrypted data is
decrypted by a decryption key which is transmitted to the vehicle by the path
control center, and
wherein according to some embodiments encrypted data are received by an
expanded toll charging
unit (which is further described), and wherein according to some embodiment
said decryption is
performed by the expanded toll charging unit which in turn transmits the
decrypted assigned path to
be received by the in-vehicle DNA, while according to some other embodiments
said decryption is
performed by the DNA according to the decryption key wherein the decryption
key and the encrypted
assigned path are transmitted to the DNA by said in-vehicle expanded toll
charging unit,
c. said robust anonymous registration (RAR), preferably per each request for a
path controlled trip.
According to some embodiments RAPCS level 2 (RAPCS2) applies at least:
a. said PUAP on a DNS and on DNAs,
b. said robust anonymous registration (RAR).
According to some embodiments, RAPCS level 3 (RAPCS3) applies at least:
a. said PUAP on a DNS, wherein a DNS may preferably not have access to
assigned paths of path
controlled trips in the vehicle,
b. said robust anonymous registration (RAR).
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Without limiting further modification, a DNA upgraded by RAPCS under
certification of
authorities is considered to be according to some embodiments a Certified DNA
(C-DNA) which may
further enable to communicate with an in-vehicle expanded toll charging unit
as further described.
However, possible disagreement by an advertisement based DNSS operator to
apply said RAPCS1
or RAPCS2 may lead authorities to consider adoption of an OEM DNS platform
instead of integration of
a commercially operated DNSS platform with a path control system and in this
respect to upgrade an OEM
platform by for example RAPCS2. Said OEM platform may include a DNS and
respective DNAs of the
OEM platform provider. In this respect, according to some embodiments, the OEM
based DNS, which may
preferably be owned by the authorities, may implement RAPCS2 under supervision
of the authority.
However, from a point of view of authorities the adoption of an OEM based DNS,
in comparison
to possible integration with an operational DNSS, has deployment and
maintenance cost aspects, for
example: cost of mapping and mapping updates, platform maintenance cost and
possibly communication
costs (if the user DNA is not based on a smart-phone), and which costs may be
saved by using for example
an advertisement based DNSS.
In case that the authorities may be determined to consider an option to apply
integration of an OEM
DNS with a path control center, despite of the additional cost in comparison
to an operational DNSS, it
may cause pecuniary loss to the DNSS operation, that is, such an operator may
lose DNA users due to a
more attractive DNSS operation applied by the authorities RAPCS2, providing
privacy preserving
privileged tolling as well as higher travel time savings.
Awareness of an advertisement based DNSS operator about such a possibility may
probably cause
an advertisement based DNSS operator to compromise on a public-private
collaboration, which should put
limitations on provision of location based advertisement with possible limited
toleration to location based
advertisement, and which said compromise is a least worse alternative from a
point of view of both the
authorities and an advertisement DNSS operator.
According to some embodiments, limitations on provision of advertisement may
include controlled
tolerated advertisement at a certain limited level applied by said tolerated
tolling and said charged tolerance
related credit associated with disobedience to a path controlled trip.
According to some embodiments, a more conservative approach from a point of
view of the
authorities, is to control the functionality of advertisement based DNSS by
enabling to provide
advertisement just through an OEM based DNS integrated with a path control
center which applies for
example RAPCS2, wherein in this respect provision of advertisement to path
controlled trip users is
enabled according to some embodiments under control for relevant parts of
trips ¨ that is, said toleration to
location based advertisement may be applied under control of authorities.
With such approach the OEM based DNS may optionally be based partially on a
relevant part of
an advertisement based DNS, provided as an OEM platform to the authorities.
However, if an operational DNSS platform may acceptably guarantee, under
supervision of
authorities, full control on applied RAPCS level 2, then OEM DNS may become
redundant and such an
operational DNSS may be considered to be a Certified DNSS (C-DNSS), that is,
according to some
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embodiments such DNSS is certified to receive assigned paths for path control
trips from a path control
center and be the channel to provide assigned paths to path controlled trips -
as an agent of a path control
center maintained by the authorities - through DNSS related C-DNAs or through
other C-DNAs associated
with in vehicle expanded toll charging unit which is further described.
In this respect, without limiting other integration possibilities, a path
control center may either be
upgraded by a C-DNSS, or a C-DNSS may be upgraded by path control center
abilities.
The integration and hosting place of an intergraded system, may affect the
potential efficiency to
apply full control by authorities on a C-DNSS with respect to RAPCS.
A Partially Certified DNSS (PC-DNSS) may according to some embodiments be
authorized to
access its own DNA users but not be authorized to access other C-DNAs through
an expanded toll charging
unit which a C-DNSS may access as further described.
According to some embodiments, PC-DNSS and C-DNSS apply RAPCS indirectly with
their own
C-DNA users, whereas Independent Certified DNSS (IC-DNSS) and Independent
Partially Certified DNSS
(IPC-DNSS) may apply RAPCS directly with their Independent C-DNA (IC-DNA)
users, preferably under
supervision of authorities.
Independence in this respect refers to an ability of not using an in-vehicle
expanded toll charging
unit as a means to access a C-DNA, while there is still dependence of IC-DNSS
and IPC-DNSS platforms
to receive assigned paths for path control trips from a path control center as
for example fig. if, fig. lg and
fig. lh may illustrate, wherein the DNSS is either an IC-DNSS or an IPC-DNSS.
Access to a C-DNA indirectly, through said in-vehicle expanded toll charging
unit, either by a path
control center or by a C-DNSS, may enable to support robust certified
provision of assigned paths to path
controlled trips through a global potential industry which may produce C-DNAs,
wherein providers of such
C-DNAs may include but not be limited to be supplied by providers of DNA
applications to smart-phones,
to automakers which install pre-market DNAs in vehicles, to autonomous vehicle
control system producers
which include in such systems DNAs , and to aftermarket DNA providers.
According to some embodiments an indirectly accessed C-DNA, further to its
mentioned abilities
to facilitate RAPCS, a C-DNA is preferably activated through a user interface
associated, for example, with
the C-DNA, and through said in-vehicle expanded toll charging unit through
which path controlled trips
are provided to the C-DNA.
Access to a C-DNA or to a C-DNA application, under RAPCS and as part of RAPCS,
should
according to some embodiments be disabled through means other than the in-
vehicle expanded toll charging
unit or said user interface, with an exception of a C-DNS and a PC-DNS and a
IC-DNS and a IPC-DNS
applying RAPCS2 which are allowed to have access.
According to some embodiments said in-vehicle expanded toll charging unit
through which a C-
DNA receives assigned paths for path controlled trips, may refer to Hybrid
Control and Tolling Unit
(HCTU) through which the path control center or a C-DNSS may access a C-DNA.
According to some embodiments, a C-DNSS and a PC-DNSS are not allowed under
RAPCS to
access directly C-DNAs but rather through HCTU, at least with respect to
assigning paths to path controlled
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trips. In this respect, for example, a smart-phone installed with a C-DNA
software application may
according to some embodiments be accessed by a C-DNSS or by a PC-DNSS through
HCTU which, further
to path controlled trips and requests for path controlled trips, may deliver
background data to the C-DNA.
Such background data may include but not be limited to, for example, data to
display maps, messages
related data, and other data which are associated with ongoing activation of a
C-DNA according to a
predetermined communication protocol through a certified communication medium.
In this respect, the path control center assigns paths for path controlled
trips by transmitting
respective data to HCTUs directly, or through a C-DNSS or through a PC-DNSS,
and in turn each HCTU
transmits the assigned path to its related in-vehicle C-DNA. The C-DNA may but
not be limited to be a
software application installed on a smart-phone, or to be a connected in-car C-
DNA, or to be a connected
C-DNA associated with autonomous vehicle control system, wherein the
communication between an
HCTU and a C-DNA may be applied for example through in-vehicle device to
device communication such
as, but not be limited to, Bluetooth communication, or with less efficient
approach through non in-vehicle
communication such as through a mobile communication network, wherein
according to some
embodiments said communication is secured communication.
With respect to respective prior embodiments, in-vehicle communication may
expand said
communication content between a toll charging unit and a DNA to support
communication between HCTU
(which expands toll charging unit functionalities) and C-DNA (a certified DNA
which communicates with
an HCTU). The communication is a bidirectional data communication enabling to
maintain inter-alia
assignments of paths to path control trips and requests for assigned paths to
path-controlled trips.
The communication between an HCTU and the path control center and/or between
the HCTU and
a C-DNSS or a PC-DNSS, may be applied for example through a mobile
communication network under
anonymous data communication by a toll charging unit wherein anonymous
communication is further
elaborated with respect to a need to apply anonymous and non anonymous
communication by for example
an HCTU functionality.
According to some embodiments, a request from a vehicle for being guided by a
path control trip
is associated with distinguishable anonymous characteristic of a vehicle,
wherein according to some
embodiments the anonymous characteristic is determined by a communication
procedure between an
HCTU and the path control center or between an HCTU and a C-DNSS or between an
HCTU and a PC-
DNSS, and wherein according to some embodiments the anonymous identifying
characteristic of a vehicle
is preferably determined according to RAR, and wherein according to some
embodiments potential
voluntarily accepted non anonymous IC-DNAs or IPC-DNA with non-anonymous
registration to a IC-
DNSS or IPC-DNSS may also be associated with distinguishable anonymous
characteristic in order to
maintain anonymous path requests for a path controlled trip through 233a and
receive respectively assigned
path from the path control center through 234a for a C-DNA associated with
233a.
According to some embodiments, dynamic determination of distinguishable
anonymous
characteristic associated with a vehicle according to RAR may be determined by
IP address allocated for a
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client device (in client server architecture) by a mobile communication
network to the HCTU for said
anonymous communication during a trip.
According to some embodiments, the IP address is preferably assigned either
directly or through a
DNSS at the beginning of each trip as part of RAR, wherein assignment of paths
to path controlled trips
are initiated according to a request entered to a C-DNA and tagged with the IP
address that the toll charging
unit or the HCTU allocates for anonymous identity to be used further with the
requests or assignments of
paths for path controlled trips from the path control center.
Since the IP address might not be active along a complete trip, due to
temporal loss of
communication with the mobile communication network, according to some
embodiments a new assigned
IP address associated with reconnection may be concatenated with the prior
used and stored IP address with
respect to anonymous identity associated with a path controlled trip, wherein
concatenated characterization
enables to further use IP related anonymous identity to be maintained with
further maintenance of
communication related to the same path control trip by identifying the vehicle
according to its currently
assigned IP address and prior assigned IP address or IP addresses wherein
predetermined prior assigned IP
address or addresses are associated with the content of further messages of
the same path controlled trip for
example according to a respective header for reading the content of a message.
According to some embodiments, a more robust assignment of anonymous
identifying
characteristic (possibly non IP address related) to a path controlled trip is
applied with a request performed
by an HCTU from a server that according to some embodiments is associated with
a path control center
(e.g., a paths planning layer of a path control center).
According to some embodiments, cancelation of an assigned anonymous
characteristic to a path
controlled trip in a said server is performed when the trip arrives to its
destination, or to an alternative
accepted destination according to a predetermined procedure, that is, the
stored association of a said
characteristic with a trip is erased from said server for potential reuse with
other new path controlled trips.
According to such embodiments, said cancelation may be performed automatically
after a period of time
that the trip is not obeying, or not acceptably obeying, according to
predetermined procedure to the assigned
path associated with a path controlled trip.
Fig.3a illustrates schematically a system configuration which from a point of
view of a path control
center it may communicate directly with C-DNAs through HCTUs or through a PC-
DNSS. The system
configuration combines the abilities of system configurations illustrated by
fig.le and fig. 1g. In this respect,
the path control center in Fig.3a may transmit through 210b, for example, data
such as assigned paths to
path controlled trips to a C-DNA, through an HCTU, and receive through 212
position to destinations
requests for a path controlled trip and possibly pre-ordered time related
position to destination requests, in
addition to said updates on varying positions and possibly destinations during
path controlled trip activity,
as fig.l.e illustrates.
Fig.3a further illustrates access to C-DNAs associated with a PC-DNSS 233a
through 234a
preferably according to RAPCS.
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Fig.3a further illustrates an ability to transmit said RAC from a server of,
for example, the usage
condition layer to the paths planning layer through 250 according to said ACP,
wherein the RAC may
further be transmitted to 233a through 234a.
Fig.3b illustrates schematically a system configuration which differs from
fig.3a by applying
assignment of path to path controlled trips to a C-DNA through C-DNSS 233b.
Fig.3b further illustrates an ability to transmit said RAC from a server of
the usage condition layer
to the paths planning layer through 250 according to said ACP, wherein the RAC
may further be transmitted
to 233b through 234b.
Fig.3c illustrates schematically a system configuration which differs from
Fig. lb by enabling to
assign paths to path controlled trips through 233b and 233c wherein 233c
handles assignment of paths to
its C-DNA users.
Fig.3c further illustrates schematically an ability to transmit said RAC from
a server of the usage
condition layer to the paths planning layer through 250 according to said ACP,
wherein the RAC may
further be transmitted to 233c through 234c.
Fig.3i1, fig.3i2 and fig.3i3 are corresponding to fig. lil, fig. 1i2 and fig.
1i3 wherein the DNA and
the toll charging unit in fig.lil, fig. 1i2 and fig. 1i3 are substituted
respectively by C-DNA and by HCTU in
fig.3i1, fig.3i2 and fig.3i3.
The HCTU functionality which is considered as an expansion to an in-vehicle
toll changing unit
functionality, enables, as described above, to isolate direct access to an in-
vehicle C-DNA with respect to
assignment of paths associated with path controlled trips, that is, the HCTU
receives data related to
assignment of paths, from a DNS or from a path control center, and transmits
such data to in-vehicle C-
DNA - preferably with other data required to maintain guidance of a trip
including but not be limited, for
example, to background road maps, to overlaid dynamic data on maps, to
messages, to decryption key if
required according to some embodiments to decrypt encrypted data of assigned
path, etc.,.
An in-vehicle HCTU or an HCTU functionality may be applied according to some
embodiments
as an expanded toll charging unit wherein the expanded functionality to the
toll charging functionality refers
to an ability to support anonymous communication with a path control center
(e.g paths planning layer, in
addition to traffic mapping layer and possibly traffic prediction layer which
a toll charging unit functionality
supports) and/or with an acceptable type of a DNS and non anonymous
communication with a charging
center such as a toll charging system (e.g., usage condition layer) as well as
to support acceptably type of
driving navigation system.
In this respect an HCTU functionality may be applied as an expansion to a toll
charging unit
functionality applied with a dedicated mobile device or be integrated as an
expanded toll charging
functionality that is integrated with other mobile devices, wherein said other
mobile devices may but not
be limited to include any mobile device such as but limited to a DNA, an
infotainment system a black-box
etc.
HCTU related expansion to the toll charging functionality includes processes
associated with
anonymous communication with e.g., a paths planning layer functionality,
either directly or through an
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acceptable type of DNS, wherein anonymous communication in general is applied
between a mobile device
and a path control system e.g., a paths planning layer and/or a traffic
mapping layer and/or traffic prediction
layer either directly or according to some embodiments indirectly through an
acceptable type of DNS, and
wherein anonymous communication is typically associated with vehicle position
realated data such as for
example time related position updates as transmitted from a vehicle to update
progress of a path and position
to destination pairs as part of a request for a path controlled trip which is
also transmitted fron a vehicle,
and wherein an HCTU includes with anonymous communication also data associated
with receiving path
and path updates por a path controlled trip, and wherein such communication
according to some
embodiments may but not be limited to include:
= transmitting by an HCTU functionality, a request for a path-controlled trip
according to position to
destination pairs,
= receiving by an HCTU functionality, assigned path according to the
request, possibly the assigned path
includes assigned parking place as destination of the path controlled trip in
the vicinity of the requested
destination,
= transmitting by an HCTU functionality or by a toll charging unit
functionality of an HCTU, feedback
about time related positions of a vehicle enabling to determine the progress
of a path controlled trip on
the network,
= receiving by an HCTU functionality, updated paths according to ongoing
management of path
controlled trips on the network.
Anonymous communication associated with an HCTU or an HCTU functionality is an
expansion
to non-anonymous and possibly anonymous communication associated already with
a toll charging unit,
wherein the expansion mainly relates to transmission of requests for path and
reception of path and path
updates, and wherein the non-anonymous communication associated with an HCTU
or HCTU functionality
applies the non anonymous in-vehicle privacy preserving toll charging support
functionality.
In this respect, in-vehicle privacy preservation or in-vehicle privacy
preservation approach or in-
vehicle privacy preserving communication approach and alike used terms, should
preferably include in a
wider sense in-vehicle calculation of a value and transmission of the value
from the vehicle as a non-
anonymous message to a centralized server or to separated servers, wherein
potential association of such
non-anonymous messages with anonymous messages that are also transmitted to a
centralized server or
servers and have interrelated connection with the content of non anonymous
messages - should not enable
potential deciphering of identity of anonymous messages by potential
association of said centralized
received anonymous and non-anonymous messages. In this respect, the content of
a non anonymous
message and communication medium related data should not enable said potential
deciphering wherein the
content of a non-anonymous message should exclude privacy related details
which anonymous messages
may include.
With respect to a privacy preserving content of a non anonymous message the
content is
characterized by being vehicle or vehicle owner identifying message including
no data that may be
associated with content of anonymous data messages with respect to a potential
ability to decipher
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according to common data associated with anonymous and non anonymous
communication the identity of
anonymous messages (making anonymous communication to be potentially non
anonymous), In this
respect, the content of a non-anonymous message associated with said in-
vehicle privacy preservation
approach should but not be limited to exclude for example time related
position or positions of the vehicle
that may be included in the content of anonymous messages, wherein according
to some embodiments said
exclusion refers even to ambiguous time related position or positions such as
for example a presence of the
vehicle on a network link or network links with or without time related data,
and wherein according to some
embodiments said exclusion may refer even to position or positions without
time relation, or without
relation to a certain period of time such as for example daily time or time
interval according to some
embodiments.
According to some embodiment in addition to exclusion of position or positions
even certain time
associated with a position or positions is excluded from the privacy
preserving content of a transmitted
message.
Such prevention of potential deciphering of real identity that is not exposed
by anonymous message
through the content of a non anonymous message, may for example be applied
with respect to privacy
preserving toll charging by calculating a toll charge amount associated with
an event of deviation of a
vehicle from a path that should be developed according to a path controlled
trip and transmitting the amount
to a toll charging system without associating privacy related data such as
position or positions related data
associated for example with the event in the content of the transmitted
message and which the content of
such message may refer to a privacy preserving content transmitted by non
anonymous communication,
According to some embodiments, said in-vehicle calculation may further be
expanded to include
fine charge amount calculation and/or a privilege credit change amount
associated with deviation of a
vehicle from a path that should be developed according to a path controlled
trip, and wherein said calculated
amount is transmitted as a non anonymous privacy preserving message content by
an in-vehicle toll
charging unit functionality or by an HCTU functionality, for example, to a
toll charging system server (e.g.,
applied by a usage condition layer server).
According to some embodiments, an expansion to a toll-charging unit
functionality or an HCTU-
functionality may include calculation of fine amount and/or calculation of
credit change amount and further
transmission of such amount as a non anonymous privacy preserving message
content to an expanded toll
charging system (e.g., applied by usage condition layer), and wherein the in-
vehicle unit functionality that
may apply said expanded functionalities refers for simplicity to a toll
charging unit which an HCTU as well
and which such simplified terms are applicable with any relevant described
embodiments, and wherein a
charging system (toll charging center) that receives non anonymous messages
with said privacy preserving
content, which may include toll amount and/or fine amount and/or credit change
amount, may refer to an
expanded toll charging system or for simplicity to a toll charging system
wherein such simplified term is
applicable to represent said expanded toll charging system (center) with
described embodiments.
Transmission of non-anonymous message with said privacy preserving content of
non anonymous
messages may not be sufficient to apply said in-vehicle privacy preservation
approach that may not enable
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potential deciphering of identity of anonymous messages by potential
association of said centralized
received anonymous and non-anonymous messages, wherein commercial mobile
communication networks
that support mobile internet are used for example with Mobile Network
Operators (MN0s) or by Mobile
Virtual Network Operators (MVN0s) services of e.g., GPRS, 3G, LTE etc.
In order to not enable potential deciphering of identity of anonymous messages
by potential
association of said centralized received anonymous and non-anonymous messages
there is a further need
to consider aspects that refer to usage of a commercial communication network
such as for example said
commercial mobile communication network that supports mobile Internet
In this respect, the potential built-in freedom associated with usage of a
commercial mobile
communication network should be limited in a manner that may enable to
preserve said objective of not
enabling potential deciphering of identity of anonymous messages by potential
association of said
centralized received anonymous and non-anonymous messages with respect to
potential freedom to use the
Internet protocol and potential freedom to use SIM profile or eSIM profiles
(herein after SIM or eSIM
profile) which is a further limitation to the limit on the content of a non
anonymous message (privacy
preserving content).
In this respect, transmission of anonymous and non anonymous messages from a
vehicle by for
example a toll charging unit or a toll charging unit functionality or an HCTU
or an HCTU functionality,
using available commercial mobile networks that support mobile Internet
(provided for example by Mobile
Network Operators (MN0s) or by Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVN0s) with
e.g., GPRS, 3G, LTE
etc,), may raise issues that may enable potential deciphering of identity of
anonymous messages by potential
association of said centralized received anonymous and non-anonymous messages
according to
communication medium usage (rather than just said message content related
data).
In this respect, potential centralized association of interrelated anonymous
and non anonymous
communication according to communication medium related data (associated with
anonymous and non
anonymous messages) may enable potential deciphering of identity of anonymous
messages by potential
association of said centralized received anonymous and non-anonymous messages
and which data refers
to:
= a possibility to use common IP address assigned to a mobile device (e.g.,
a client IP address assigned
to a mobile device in case that a client server architecture is used) to
perform anonymous and non
anonymous communication (e.g., by time sharing through a single transceiver)
that should be
prevented,
= a possibility to use logically (e.g., non randomly or virtually randomly)
related IP addresses assigned
to a mobile device (e.g., client IP addresses in case that a client server
architecture is used) to perform
anonymous and non anonymous communication (applied e.g., with separated mobile
transceivers) that
should be prevented,
= a possibility to use consistently related IP addresses (e.g., random but
consistently related IP addresses)
assigned to a mobile device (e.g., client IP addresses in case that a client
server architecture is used) to
perform anonymous and non anonymous communication (wherein consistently
related IP addresses
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records of anonymous and non anonymous communication may indicate on
interrelation) that should
be prevented,
= a possibility to use SIM or eSIM profile associated with a mobile device
for anonymous
communication, wherein IP related data associated with a SIM or eSIM profile
are recorded on facilities
of a mobile communication network operator and wherein mobile related IP
address associated with
anonymous centralized received messages may potentially be recorded on a path
control system,
association of recorded IP addresses on the mobile network operator facilities
and IP addresses recorded
on a path control system may according to common time stamped mobile related
IP addresses enable
to decipher identity of anonymous messages according to the SIM or eSIM
profile identity and which
such a possibility should preferably be prevented (e.g., by using privately
charged SIM or eSIM profile,
such as personal owned profile and therefore privately charged profile,
disabling non authorized access
to records on the mobile network facilities by for example authorities or
their agents that are associated
with incentive related path control operation using e.g., clarification appeal
for a SIM or eSIM related
bill, or preferably records of SIM or eSIM IP related addresses should be
erased from facilities of the
mobile network operator if it is legally allowed).
According to some embodiments, subject to said constraints, said non logically
and non
consistently related IP addresses are assigned to a mobile device for
anonymous and non anonymous
communication wherein the assignment is applied according to some embodiments
by dynamic allocation
process that assigns IP addresses to a mobile device from a pool of available
addresses through a mobile
communication network. In this respect, an assigned IP address may according
to some embodiments serve
as a client IP address in a client server architecture, wherein said non
consistency may according to some
embodiments be applied by a reset to a transceiver of the HCTU in order that
the transceiver will be assigned
with a new IP address by said dynamic allocation of IP addresses whereas
according to some embodiments
if the same IP address is assigned after a reset then a further reset is
performed preferably with a delay
associated with reactivation of a MAC (Medium Access Control procedure) and
whereas according to some
embodiments a virtually randomly assigned IP address is performed by a process
on the side of the
assigning facility of IP addresses to mobile devices that at least disables to
reassign the same IP address to
the same HCTU after said reset, for example by using a sufficient time delay,
According to some embodiments separated SIM and/or eSIM profiles serve the
anonymous and the
non anonymous communication, wherein the SIM or eSIM profile that serves the
anonymous transmission
is a preferably a privately owned SIM or eSIM profile (i.e., the SIM or eSIM
profile that is not owned by
an authority that is related to the operation of the path control or to its
operation agent), and wherein
according to some embodiments a non privately owned SIM or eSIM profile serves
the non anonymous
communication, and wherein according to some embodiments separated
transceivers are associated with
the separated SIM or eSIM profiles,
According to some embodiments, wherein separated transceivers are used with
anonymous and
non anonymous communication, with separated SIM or eSIM profiles, said ACP
associated with RAC may
be applied with shorter time delay under continuous communication, wherein no
MAC (Medium Access
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Control procedure) is required due to transition from anonymous to non
anonymous communication and
vice versa.
According to some embodiments, a single transceiver is used with said
separated SIM or eSIM
profiles requiring according to some embodiments to assign said non logically
and non consistently related
IP addresses for anonymous and for non anonymous communication by for example
a reset to the
transceiver, wherein as a result of a reset an IP address may be assigned
virtually randomly to the HCTU
through a mobile communication network from a pool of IP addresses whereas
according to some
embodiments if the same IP address is assigned after a reset then a further
reset is performed preferably
with a delay associated with reactivation of a MAC (Medium Access Control)
procedure and whereas
according to some embodiments a virtually randomly assigned IP address is
applied by a virtually random
assignment process on the side of the assigning facility of IP addresses that
at least disables to reassign the
same IP address to the same HCTU after said reset.
According to some embodiments, said possible assignments of IP addresses
and/or said
possibilities to associate SIM and/or eSIM profiles with assigned IP addresses
either with a single or with
separated transceivers, is applicable to any relevant described embodiments
hereinafter and above wherein
anonymous and non anonymous communication are applied with a vehicle.
According to some embodiments, transmission of anonymous messages from a
mobile device
addresses a server of an acceptable type of DNS whereas according to some
other embodiments the
transmission addresses a path control center server(s),
According to some embodiments, some or all said anonymous communication is
applied by an
acceptable type of a DNA. In this respect, according to some embodiments, said
limitations on assignments
of mobile device IP address and said limitations on SIM or eSIM profile owner
is also maintained in case
of usage of a DNA to perform anonymous related communication.
According to some embodiments, the SIM or eSIM profile associated with non
anonymous
commutation is a said privately owned SIM or eSIM profile wherein according to
some embodiments
charged usage of the non anonymous communication is paid or subsidized by
authorities or their agent that
maintains said path control operation,
According to some embodiments, erasure or prevention of records of an IP
address or IP addresses,
assigned to a mobile device by mobile network facilities, is performed on the
mobile network facilities (if
applicable) by a respective process, wherein said erasure or prevention of
records enables to use a single
SIM or eSIM profile with anonymous and non anonymous communication (if
acceptable by a MNO or a
MVNO and by home land security authorities), and wherein said single SIM or
eSIM profile may be applied
either with said single transceiver or with said separated transceivers under
said limitations to assign IP
addresses that prevents from potential association of anonymous and non
anonymous communication
related data to decipher identity of anonymous communication.
Hereinafter and above, the term anonymous and the term non anonymous
communication
associated with said in-vehicle privacy preserving approach may further refer
to any possible level of
consideration of described constraints preferably required with privacy
preserving approach, wherein the
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higher the level of said constraints associated with an implementation the
lower is the potential to decipher
identity of non anonymous communication.
Said in-vehicle privacy preserving approach associated with said expanded toll
charging center
(expanded toll charging system) may further be applied according to some
embodiments with any relevant
described embodiments hereinafter and above with respect to a need to use in-
vehicle privacy preserving
charging and/or in-vehicle privacy preserving credit change updates according
to an identity which for
example may be a vehicle identity or a vehicle owner identity,
According to some embodiments, said anonymous communication activity
associated with a
vehicle may be shared for example between a said acceptable type of DNA and a
toll charging unit
functionality or a said acceptable type of DNA and an HCTU functionality,
wherein a toll charging unit
functionality or an HCTU functionality apply said non anonymous communication,
and wherein an
integration of a DNA functionality with toll charging unit functionality or a
DNA functionality with an
HCTU functionality in a single mobile device may apply anonymous and non
anonymous communication
in a more flexible sharing form.
Furthermore, any mobile device for which the issue of preventing centralized
association of
interrelated anonymous and non anonymous communication should be relevant, may
according to some
embodiments be applied with relevant in-vehicle apparatus configurations that
is or may be associated with
different embodiments, hereinafter and above, while applying said in-vehicle
privacy preserving
communication approach..
In this respect, as mentioned above, the privacy preservation approach may be
associated with
privileged tolling (such as free of charge toll or toll discount), applied in
order to encourage usage of path
controlled trips, which may be expanded to include in-vehicle privacy
preserving fine charging and/or in-
vehicle credit change image management. Credit change management refers to an
ability to manage the
change in the credit and further to update the balance on a centralized server
whereas credit change image
management refers to the image of the in vehicle changes in the credit and
updated balance on a centralized
server.
The credit change and related events, stored in a central storage of for
example an expanded toll
charging system, may enable to manage potential user clarifying appeal and/or
recovering from a
malfunction associated with an in-vehicle unit, wherein for example a need to
replace an in vehicle unit
may be supported by setting the credit balance in a new vehicular unit
according to a copy of the balance
stored in a centralized system. In this respect applying in-vehicle privacy
preserving approach with non
anonymous communication disables by definition to include position or time
related position data as well
as according to some embodiments even ambiguous time related position or
positions.
Non-anonymous communication which is applied between a mobile device applying
toll charging
unit or HCTU functionality and, for example, a charging system such as a toll
charging system or an
expanded toll charging system enabling to apply fine charging and credit
change image management
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(applied e.g., by a usage condition layer), supports in this respect in-
vehicle privacy preserving approach
with respect to toll charging and/or to fine charging and/or to credit change
image management.
Said toll and/or fine charge and/or credit change image management central
related system, which
may refer to an in-vehicle privacy preserving charging support centralized
system or, for simplicity, to an
expanded toll charging system or to an expanded toll charging center (applied
e.g., by a respective expanded
usage condition layer), is associated according to some embodiments with toll
charging and fine charging
related processes or toll charging and credit change image management related
processes or toll and fine
charging and credit change image management related processes.
According to some embodiments, each charge related event and/or credit change
image managing
related event that is detected and determined on the side of a vehicle, for
example by a toll charging unit or
a toll charging unit functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality, is
stored with time related event
position or positions in order to enable an appeal to be applied according to
time or time interval related
stamp. In this respect, time or time interval stamp which is related to an
event is associated with calculated
amount of charge or calculated credit charge by a toll charging unit or a toll
charging unit functionality or
an HCTU or an HCTU functionality and wherein such data is transmitted with non
anonymous
communication to for example an expanded toll charging system (applied e.g.,
by expanded usage condition
layer) and stored on a central storage, applying in-vehicle privacy preserving
charge and/or change of credit
by said in-vehicle privacy preserving approach.
According to some embodiments the time stamped related charging amount or time
stamped credit
change stored in a central storage of for example said expanded toll charging
system, may be informed to
the vehicle owner enabling to decide accordingly about whether to apply a
clarification appeal. According
to some embodiments, a clarification appeal associated with the time stamped
charge or time stamped
change of credit, or potential time stamped charge or potential time stamped
change in credit provides
allowance to retrieve from the in-vehicle storage, such as for example from a
toll charging unit or from a
toll charging unit functionality or from an HCTU or from an HCTU functionality
storage, event related
details for further clarification procedure, wherein according to some
embodiments the retrieval is a remote
retrieval applied for example through said expanded toll charging system
respective facilities,
According to some embodiments the HCTU functionality which expands the
functionality of a toll
charging unit applies methods which may but not be limited to comprise the
following processes:
a. Receiving by an in-vehicle HCTU functionality anonymous identity , wherein
according to some
embodiments the anonymous identity is a dynamically assigned IP address to the
HCTU functionality
for anonymous communication, wherein according to some embodiments further to
the IP an
anonymous identity is assigned by a remote server to and received by the HCTU
functionality which
anonymous identity is preferably associated by a path control center wherein
according to some
embodiments the reception of the anonymous identity is a result of RAR applied
by a vehicle in order
to be served by a path controlled trip, and wherein according to some
embodiments authentication of
the HCTU is applied by said RAR associated with ARC,
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b. transmitting according to some embodiments by the HCTU functionality to a
path control center, or
according to some other embodiments to a DNS or a C-DNS, anonymous request
using said
anonymous communication which request includes position to destination related
data as a request for
a path controlled trip,
c. receiving by said HCTU functionality a path and further possible dynamic
updates to the path
associated with a path controlled trip, using said anonymous communication,
and wherein according
to some embodiments the paths and updated paths are encrypted paths which
according to some
embodiments the HCTU functionality may decrypt according to a decryptions key
which the HCTU
functionality has received according to some embodiments from a path control
center using non
anonymous communication, and wherein according to some other embodiments the
encrypted path
and the decryption key which are received by the HCTU functionality are
transmitted by the HCTU
functionality to the C-DNA for decryption by the C-DNA, wherein according to
some embodiments
ACP is used with authentication of served path controlled trip during a trip
which may according to
some embodiment strengthen an ARC authentication.
d. Transmitting by the HCTU functionality a said received updated path for a
path controlled trip to an
in-vehicle C-DNA functionality, wherein according to some embodiment the data
is encrypted and
associated with decryption key.
e. According to a change in the destination of the path controlled trip,
receiving by the HCTU
functionality an updated destination, for example from a DNA or a C-DNA
functionality, and
transmitting by said HCTU functionality the destination update to a path
control center using said
anonymous communication.
f. Tracking and storing time related positions along a path controlled trip by
said HCTU tolling
functionality.
g. Comparing by said HCTU tolling functionality said tracked time related
positions with time related
positions associated with a path that should be developed according to path
updates for a path
controlled trip.
h. Determining by said HCTU tolling functionality, toll charging value and/or
fine value and or change
in privilege credit value, according to a level of a match performed by said
comparison and according
to predetermined criteria, wherein said determination may refer according to a
match to confirmed free
of charge toll or privileged toll or full toll charge or unknown toll related
conditions, and wherein
tolerated tolling according to some embodiments is applied with respect to
said credit associated with
deviation of trips from assigned paths to path controlled trips
(disobedience), and wherein the value of
tolling to be charged is determined according to privilege credit
determination.
i. Transmitting by said HCTU tolling functionality, according to "h", a toll
charge value or a free of
charge confirmation related message through anonymous communication.
According to some embodiments, said in-vehicle HCTU functionality apparatus
applies the said
method by an apparatus which may but not be limited to comprise:
= Mobile internet transceiver,
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= GNSS positioning receiver, or sensor based localization associated with
autonomous vehicles,
= Processor and memory,
= Communication apparatus to communicate with an in-vehicle driving
navigation aid if the DNA is
not integrated with an HCTU on a common hardware platform.
According to some embodiments, said predictive path control which its
efficiency level depends
on the quality of time dependent traffic predictions and which the quality
level depends on the level of
share of the vehicles that are using pre-scheduled trips (enabling to
guarantee higher time dependent
resolution of predicted entries to a controlled network than statistical based
demand predictions may
provide), may under lack of pre-scheduled trips, or under insufficient
percentage of pre-scheduled trips in
the anticipated traffic, be supported by traffic lights controlled entries to
the part of a network wherein path
control is applied. In this respect, the traffic lights may maintain queues at
entry points to said controlled
part of a network which their lengths are preferably planned to be longer than
the departure from a queue
allows. Such controlled entries on the network may but not be limited to
include traffic which arrives to a
city in which said predictive path control is applied and intra-city exits
from highways and possibly also
in entries to and exits from parking lots etc.
According to such embodiments, the efficiency of the current traffic flow may
be degraded while
making the actual entries more predictable and the efficiency of the
predictive path control to be improved.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, traffic light control, at an
entry point to the controlled
network, by predictive path control, is adaptive to the statistical
predictions of arrivals to a said entry
enabling to increase the prediction resolution for a cost of some delay at a
said entry point.
According to such embodiment, the higher the traffic flow at a an entry point
the higher the
resolution that such an approach may obtain for a low cost, in terms of said
delays, wherein for an exit from
a parking lot ¨ such approach may not be applicable in typical conditions. A
further issue which may have
a major effect on time saving from personal and public points of view refers
to the issue of searching for a
parking place in urban areas, and which issue is a further issue to issues
associated with travel time savings
by traffic load balancing.
Searching for parking places is a known issue in urban areas that negatively
affects the arrival time
to the destination in terms of absolute time and in terms of relative weight
of the time required to arrive to
a required destination. The relative average weight of the time required to
search for a parking place near a
required destination may according to some surveys reach a level of tens of
percents of the travel time of
an average intra-city trip. This issue has negative effect not just on vehicle
users but also on the public
interest which refers to economical aspect related to value of travel time
savings.
According to some embodiments, search for parking places at the end of trips,
near required
destinations, may be resolved or at least be reduced by the support of
apparatus and methods of path control
system enabling to encourage usage of path controlled trips by incentives
applied for example by privileged
tolling encouraging usage of path controlled trips and obedience to dynamic
path assignment to such
controlled trips, which may be interpreted from the point of view of applied
non usage of, or non full
obedience to, path controlled trips, as negative incentives to discourage such
non usage or non obedience.
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In this respect, high usage of path controlled trips, which may be generated
by incentive(s) to apply usage
by almost all potential users, and which may be expected to include a need for
parking at the end of the
trips, may take benefit of the ability to efficiently map occupancy and
availability of parking places by the
usage of such controlled trips and to further efficiently manage assignment of
parking places to path
controlled trips with the aim to shorten arrival times to destinations rather
than to just shorten trip times.
As mentioned above, the issue of searching for parking places, in case that
there are available
parking places or known becoming available places, may be shortened by the
ability to efficiently map
available parking places and accordingly to assign parking places to path
controlled trips, as a
complementary part of the operation of said path control.
Nevertheless, such expanded operation raises an issue of a need to robustly
guarantee reservation
of assigned parking places to path controlled trips. In this respect,
according to some embodiments and
under the assumption that massive usage of path controlled trips is associated
with massive usage of in
vehicle toll charging units or HCTUs, robust reservation of an available
parking place assigned to a path
controlled trip may be applied for example by applying negative monetary
incentive which fines non
authorized parking in assigned parking places, by users or potential users of
path controlled trips, through
the support of a vehicular charging unit or a functionality of a vehicular
charging unit, such as for example
a toll charging unit or a toll charging unit functionality or an HCTU an HCTU
functionality, which may
support fine charge due to non authorized parking as an expansion to toll
charging - making for example a
toll charging center to become a toll/fine charging center. Further to the
contribution of said fine charging
to the robustness of assignment of parking places to path controlled trips,
from a wide perspective massive
usage of path controlled trips may contribute to the efficiency of mapping
availability of parking places
and assigning available parking places to path control trips. In this respect,
the efficiency mainly depends
on:
= the ability to map available parking places with high coverage and with
sufficient accuracy,
= the ability to predict availability of parking places with high coverage and
sufficient accuracy,
= the ability to guarantee reservation of assigned parking places to a path
control trips,
= the ability to adaptively manage assignments of parking places according
changes in the traffic and in
the availability of parking places,
= the ability to maintain fairness in assignment of parking places nearby
requested destinations, subject
to priority constraints which may be used to encourage according to some
embodiments requests for
path controlled trips as further described.
All or part of such issues and some additional ones may be resolved by
expanding said path controlled
system, which encourages high usage of path controlled trips, by further
abilities to discourage directly or
indirectly non cooperative acts such as;
= non usage of assigned parking places as destinations of a path controlled
trip, if such possibility is
available, wherein the alternative is,
= parking in non authorized parking places which are assigned to path
controlled trips that haven't arrived
yet to the parking places.
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Such approach may take benefit of conditions wherein most of the vehicles on a
network are expected to
be equipped with toll charging units or with HCTUs in order to not be affected
by negative incentive that
discourages non usage or non full obedience to path controlled trip.
Massive installed base of in-vehicle toll charging units and/or in-vehicle
HCTU which provides a
potential efficient means to identify non cooperative behavior and which
enables to discourage such
behavior by applying for example negative incentives which may include
cancelation of entitlement for
privileges (entitled with cooperative behavior) and/or even to charge fine for
non cooperative behavior.
In this respect, as further described, non cooperative act may include
avoidance to contribute to
traffic predictions, for example avoiding to apply prescheduled request for
path controlled trips, and/or
parking in anon authorized parking place which such non cooperative behavior
negatively affects
assignments of parking places to path controlled trips and further negatively
affects potential assignments
of parking places to path controlled trips according to expected availability
of parking places.
Increased level of cooperation, which is associated with assignments of
parking places to path
controlled trips, and which under such cooperation a vehicle may be diverted
towards a parking place
instead of being guided towards a requested destination, improves the
efficiency and the reliability of the
assignments of parking places. In this respect assigning dynamically parking
places to path controlled trips
is applied according to some embodiments according to dynamic traffic load
balancing development and
according to dynamic availability and predicted availability (as further
described) of parking places, in
order to improve the efficiency of the assignments.
According to some embodiment, data about available or becoming available
parking places are
received by a path control system server(s) directly from vehicles, which are
guided or may potentially be
guided according to path controlled trips, and/or indirectly from one or more
external servers that are
managed dependently on, or independently of, an operation of path controlled
trips.
According to some embodiments, available or becoming available parking places
are received and
stored by the path control system in a storage wherein the storage, which
hereinafter refers to Parking Places
Managing Storage (PPMS) which includes status of parking places that inter-
alia includes availability status
and non occupied but assigned parking places to path controlled trips as well
as other supplementary data
associated with managing parking places according to described embodiments,
may be accessed, for
example, by processes of a paths planning layer or a functionality of a paths
planning layer and/or by any
processes that are relevant to apply mapping of availability of parking places
and assignment of parking
places by, and/or for, a path control system.
Hereinafter and above, said parking places may refer to parking places which
are available or may
be expected to be available within a parking lot, and/or to parking places
which independently of a parking
lot are available or may expected to be available. In this respect
availability may also refer to becoming
available parking places which virtually are available to be assigned to path
controlled trips according to
their expected arrival time to such parking places, and according to some
embodiment also according to
tolerated waiting time to park in a becoming available parking place which
tolerated waiting time exceeds
the arrival time.
According to some embodiments, the path control system may have direct access,
or
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indirect access to the PPMS, enabling the path control system to manage
directly or indirectly data related
to availability of parking places and assignment of available parking places
to path control trips.
Assignment of parking places to path controlled trips may be applied
sequentially per a single path
controlled trip or, according to some embodiments, in parallel by assigning a
plurality of available parking
places to a plurality of path control trips at a time. Assignment of a
plurality of available parking places
should preferably maintain a need that the number of path controlled trips do
not exceed the number of
available parking places. In case that there are no sufficiently available
parking places then according to
some embodiments priority may be applied according to First In First Out
(FIFO) request service and/or
according to some embodiments priority may be applied according to priority
rules which may refer to
provision of priority associated with encouraging usage of path controlled
trips as further described and/or
according to any other rules.
As mentioned above, data about available parking places may be generated by
external sources
and/or be generated by vehicles using path controlled trips, wherein generated
data that determine available
parking places are received and stored by a path control system directly or
indirectly in a PPMS. Although
there are different alternatives to generate such data, the condition of
massive usage of path controlled trips,
for example, under privileged tolling applied with the support of, for
example, a usage condition layer, may
contribute further to generate conditions to map efficiently available parking
places by vehicles which are
implementing or may potentially implement path control trips.
The key element to map availability of parking places while applying path
controlled trips with
privileged tolling is a massively installed base of vehicular platform which
may refer but not be limited to
said toll charging units or said functionalities of toll charging units or
said HCTUs or said functionalities
of HCTUs or DNAs or functionalities of DNAs in vehicles. Such units or
functionalities may interact with
a path control system (e.g., paths planning layer) that preferably is applied
also with mapping availability
of parking places, wherein the toll charging unit and/or the HCTU, as well as
the path control system (e.g.,
paths planning layer) and the toll charging center (e.g., usage condition
layer), may further be expanded to
support complementary parking related processes that enable to efficiently
assign parking places to paths
of path-controlled trips. In this respect a massively installed base of such
units, enabling to discourage
potential disobedience to path controlled trips, creates prime conditions for
mapping available parking
places and further to assign parking places to path controlled trips. Such
installed base is upgraded to
support such as objective.
In this respect, a toll charging unit or a functionality of a toll-charging
unit or an HCTU or an
HCTU functionality, is expanded by one or more parking related processes that
may but not be limited to
include: processes associated with mapping availability-status of parking
places and/or processes associated
with mapping new potential parking places and/or processes associated with
managing tolling and tolerated
tolling of path controlled trips with relation to search for parking places,
and/or processes associated with
managing fines for unauthorized usage of parking places and/or processes
associated with charging parking
time cost and/or processes associated with charging fine for non authorized
usage of a parking place.
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Such upgraded units or upgraded functionalities of such units may refer
respectively with further
description to a Toll Charging Unit (TCU) with Parking Support (PS),
hereinafter TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality, or to an HCTU with Parking Support (PS), hereinafter HCTU-PS or
an HCTU-PS
functionality, wherein the extension of "PS" stands for "Parking Support"
related processes associated with
a Toll Charging Unit (TCU) or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU
functionality.
According to some embodiments, a parking support related process may refer to
a parking status
informing process, which according to some embodiments transmits to a path
control system data about
time related departure of a vehicle from a parking place or about time related
arrival of a vehicle to a parking
place, and which the transmission of such data by a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-PS or
an HCTU-PS functionality and the reception of such data by a path control
system - updates according to
some embodiments the availability of parking places in a PPMS.
A parking status informing process associated with a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality may according to some embodiments be
expanded further by a
status-detection process, wherein a status detection process is fed by data
which determines the vehicle
position, for example, through an in-vehicle position tracking process
associated with or received by a
TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality
and, accordingly, the
process detects an exit or an entry of a vehicle from/to a parking place which
could be / is the destination
of a path controlled trip.
The status-detection process associated with a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-
PS or an HCTU-PS functionality applies, according to some embodiments,
comparison between the in
vehicle tracked position and data about the assigned destination, which is a
parking place assigned as a
destination to a path controlled trip that is received for example as part of
the path which is used to handle
obedience related processes by a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-
PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality, and according to the comparison determining whether occupancy
of a parking place is
performed.
According to some embodiments, if the occupation of the parking place is the
assigned destination
then no obedience related process is applied. Otherwise a disobedience
informing process is performed
which may include, in addition to potential disobedience toll charge for
deviation from the path that should
have to be developed according to a path controlled trip, a potential fine
charge due to non authorized
parking if the parking place is found to be assigned to another path
controlled trip that hasn't arrived yet to
its parking destination.
Fine charging, similar to toll charging, is applied according to some
embodiments with said in-
vehicle privacy preserving approach, wherein privacy preserving incentive
related processes associated
with toll charging while enabling to maintain robust anonymous operation of
path-controlled trips are
expanded to include fine charging according to said in-vehicle privacy
preserving approach constraints.
In-vehicle privacy preservation, as mentioned before, is characterized in this
respect by performing
in-vehicle calculation of a potential fine charge according to time related
position and further transmitting
the amount of the charge to a charging center using said in-vehicle privacy
preserving approach.
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Such in-vehicle privacy preservation may enable to overcome potential weakness
associated with
an alternative to apply centralized privacy preservation approach, wherein
identity associated with time
related position or positions should be transmitted to a center in order to
calculate a charge and further to
store personal and time related position data, or time related positions data,
with the charged amount for a
case that appeal will be applied. Such centralized approach makes a
centralized storage vulnerable to
hacking and possibly to other potential illegal actions that may further be
associated with potential big
syndrome. Such syndrome is a more acute issue with centralized privacy
preserving approach at a time
when, for example, said discounted toll charge is applied in order to dilute
demand of path-controlled trip.
In this respect, even though no trip related details should be transmitted
according to some embodiments
while free of charge tool is applied, in case of obedience to a path
controlled trip, there is no way to avoid
exposure of trip details if time related positions are not recorded and stored
for obedience approval.
Therefore, according to some embodiments, any or some of the embodiments
associated with
monetary and possibly with non-monetary management of positive and/or negative
incentives, may
preferably enable to apply, according to demand, in-vehicle privacy
preservation approach rather than, or
as a complementary option to, central privacy preserving approach that may
according to some
embodiments support some share of the vehicles on the network if it may be
applicable.
Such possible hybrid of in-vehicle and centralized privacy preservation,
according to which for
example ambiguities about time related position or time related positions are
transmitted to a charging
center, has two weaknesses which one of them refers to potential lack of
detailed records of time related
position or time related positions required to support clarification according
to a potential appeal and which
the other one refers to privacy preservation.
Privacy preservation weaknesses in this respect, may refer as mentioned above
to a situation
according to which even ambiguous time related position or positions that are
associated with an identity
may mutually be associated with time related position or positions that are
associated with anonymous
communication, enabling to make the anonymous communication to be non
anonymous.
Therefore, such hybrids approach may not be applicable wherein there is a need
to guarantee robust
privacy preservation.
Nevertheless, according to some embodiments, a hybrid approach may be applied,
according to
demand, wherein ambiguous time related position or time related positions,
associated with for example
vehicle or vehicle owner identifying related data, is transmitted from a
vehicle to a centralized charging
center, and wherein the center calculates and stores such details with the
calculated charge amount.
According to some embodiments, in conditions wherein said in-vehicle privacy
preserving
approach is applied with a fine charge associated with non-authorized parking
that is preceded with
detection of a parking action, before determination whether the location of
the parking place is a non
authorized parking place or an authorized one, and wherein according to some
embodiments the detection
of a non authorized parking is applied by a path control system, then if a non
authorized parking is detected
the path control system transmits accordingly an update to a vehicular unit or
a vehicular unit functionality
in order generate fine charging in case of a non authorized parking. The
vehicular unit or vehicular unit
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functionality may be for example a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-
PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality.
According to the update, a fine charging related message applies according to
some embodiments
a fine charge according to said in-vehicle privacy preserving approach
constraints.
According to some embodiments, said update about non-authorized parking
location received by
in-vehicle apparatus from a path control center (e.g., a paths planning layer)
uses anonymous
communication. In this respect, the anonymous update is characterized by being
parking place location
exposing related data and not vehicle identifying related data.
With such approach said anonymous communication bidirectional communication is
supported in
this respect and in general.
According to some embodiments, detection of non-authorized parking, which is
further updated by
a path control system in a said vehicular unit, is performed by a path control
center that has access to tracked
path controlled trip and to the content of the PPMS. In this respect, the
content of the PPMS includes
assigned parking places to path-controlled trips as further described in more
details.
According to such embodiments, the detection of a non-authorized parking
starts by identifying a
potential parking action in a location that is not assigned as a parking place
to a path controlled trip, for
example, according to or as part of anonymous time related position tracking
associated with the path
control operation, wherein stoppage time duration that exceeds a certain time
limit indicates on potential
parking.
According to such embodiments, determination of a potential parking as a non-
authorized parking
is further performed by the path control system that determines whether a
parking action is an authorized
parking or a non-authorized parking according to initiation a match process
between the identified potential
parking and parking places marked as assigned parking places in a PPMS.
According to the match result,
said update is transmitted, for example, by transmitting to a respective
vehicle, through anonymous
communication associate for example with its position tracking, an update
about a non-authorized parking.
In case that the vehicle hasn't left the parking place in a certain limited
time duration then a fine charge
process is applied, preferably after a ignoring a warning message that has
transmitted to the DNA or DNA
application, and reassignment of a parking place is further applied with
respect to the vehicle to which a
non applicable parking place is assigned.
According to some other embodiments, a potential non authorized parking action
starts with a
detection of a stoppage by a vehicular charging apparatus according to a
predetermined stoppage time limit,
such as for example by a TCU or by a TCU functionality or by an HCTU or bt an
HCTU functionality or
by a TCU-PS or by a TCU-PS functionality or by an HCTU-PS or by an HCTU-PS
functionality, as part
of for example said anonymous position tracking applied to enable toll
charging by said in-vehicle privacy
preserving approach. In this respect, detection of stoppage that exceeds
predetermined time limit may
indicate on potential parking in a place that is known to be not the parking
place assigned to the path
controlled trip. According to such detection, an anonymous message is
transmitted, for example, to a path
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control center in order to check whether the location of the stoppage is
performed in a non authorized
parking place (an assigned parking place to a path controlled trip that hasn't
arrived yet to its parking place).
According to reception of the message by the path controlled system and
according to said content
of the PPMS, the path control system determines whether the parking is
performed in an authorized parking
place or not. According to the determination, a response update, which is
transmitted through anonymous
communication to the respective vehicle, informs for example to a driver or an
automomous vehicle that
the parking is performed in a non-authorized parking place or otherwise
informing that the parking is a non
assigned (free) parking place or is an unknown parking place for which fine
charging may not be relevant.
According to some embodiments, the update received from a path control center
(e.g., a paths
planning layer), using anonymous communication, is characterized by being
parking place location related
data and not vehicle identifying data as mentioned above and as further
described in more details,
According to some embodiments said response update or said update, transmitted
from a path
controlled center to the vehicle, is received by a DNA or a DNA application a
C-DNA or a C-DNA
application which further transmits the said response or said update to the
vehicular unit or vehicular unit
functionality, such as for example a TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or
an HCTU functionality or
a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality
applying further fine
charge related processes, and wherein according to such embodiments said
vehicular unit or unit
functionality performs non anonymous communication associated with said fine
charging message,
According to some embodiments, the vehicular unit performs in this respect
said anonymous and
said non anonymous communication in which case the anonymous communication is
associated with a path
control center whereas the non anonymous communication is associated with a
toll charging center.
According to some embodiments said response or said update, involves a warning
process through
a DNA or a DNA functionality before a fine charge is performed, preferably
noting about potential fine
that will be charged if the place will not be unoccupied in a certain time
limit. In case that the said response
or said update is received by the DNA from a path control system then in case
that a fine charge should be
applied a fine charge process is triggered through communication between the
DNA and a vehicular
charging support unit or a charging unit functionality such as for example a
TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality applying further fine
charge related processes.
According to some embodiments said detected location of a non authorized
parking, which is stored
according to said update or said response update in a vehicular charging
support unit or a vehicular charging
support unit functionality, such as for example a TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an HCTU
functionality or a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-
PS functionality
applying further fine charge related processes, enables further to read such
data, for example for personal
reasons or for a reason of submitting an appeal, through for example a user
interface associated with a DNA
or a DNA application or a C-DNA or a C-DNA application, using communication
with a vehicular unit or
a functionality of a vehicular unit through for example Bluetooth
communication or directly if the DNA
and the charging support vehicular unit are integrated in a single unit.
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Said charging support vehicular unit or a functionality of a charging support
vehicular unit is
according to some embodiments a vehicular unit or a vehicular unit
functionality, such as for example a
TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or a TCU-PS or
a TCU-PS functionality
or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality expanded by respective processes to
enable privacy
preserving fine processes according to said in-vehicle privacy preserving
approach as part of the privacy
preserving negative incentive monetary (fine) charging support.
According to some embodiments said anonymous communication to/from a vehicle,
which
includes trip related data such as time related varying positions of a vehicle
on a road network and/or time
related presence of a vehicle on a link and/or links on the network and/or
time related parking place of a
vehicle, may refer in general to position related data or to time related
position mentioned hereinafter and
above.
The vehicle apparatus in this respect may but not be limited to include for
example a Smartphone,
an infotainment system, a vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular
charging support unit functionality
such as for example a TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU
functionality or a TCU-PS or
a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality.
A vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular charging support unit
functionality, such as for
example a TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or a
TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality, which according to
different embodiments use
non-anonymous communication and according to some embodiments applies further
fine charge related
processes, uses in this respect to in-vehicle privacy preserving approach with
either a personally owned or
a non personally owned SIM profile. For example with a M2M SIM card, or a
personally owned or a non
personally owned SIM or eSIM profile.
According to some embodiments, a system configuration according to which a
Smartphone is used
with a DNA application or a C-DNA application, performing said anonymous
communication between a
vehicle and a path control center according to in-vehicle privacy preserving
approach constraints, and
wherein a vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular charging support unit
functionality, such as for
example a TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or a
TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality applying further said
fine charge related
processes according to in-vehicle privacy preserving approach constraints, a
SIM or an eSIM profile used
with the anonymous communication may have different ownership from a SIM or
eSIM profile used with
the non anonymous communication, and wherein the Smartphone should be a said
personally owned SIM
or eSIM profile whereas the a vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular
charging support unit
functionality SIM or eSIM profile may be a non personally owned SIM or eSIM
profile owned for example
by an authority and/or by an authority agent of an authority that is
associated with the operation of said
path control.
With such a configuration different said personally owned SIM or eSIM profiles
may be used with
different Smartphones whereas the SIM or the eSIM profile associated with for
example a TCU or a TCU
functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS
functionality or an HCTU-
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PS or an HCTU-PS functionality applying further said fine charge related
processes that may support fine
charging, is according to some embodiments a single SIM or eSIM profile that
may be a personally owned
or a non personally owned SIM or eSIM profile.
In order to enable anonymous and non anonymous communication to/from a single
mobile device
or a vehicular device while applying said in-vehicle privacy preserving
approach, according to some
embodiments the SIM or eSIM profile that is associated with the mobile or
vehicular device is applied as a
said personally owned SIM or eSIM profile associated with an additional
protecting procedure in order to
enable said in-vehicle privacy preserving approach to be applied.
As further described, and as mentioned above with the description of in-
vehicle privacy preserving
approach, the additional protecting procedure should enable random or virtual
random relation between a
mobile/vehicular IP address assigned to anonymous communication and a
mobile/vehicilar IP address
assigned to non-anonymous communication.
Furthermore, non authorized parking placed associated with in-vehicle privacy
preserving fine
charge applied according to in ¨vehicle privacy preserving approach should not
be associated with non
anonymous communication and, in general, time related to vehicle position or
positions or even such
ambiguous data should also not be associated with non anonymous communication.
In this espect, for
example, time related to presence on a link or to presence in a small zone (or
vice versa) on the network,
should preferably not be associated with a non anonymous charging in order to
guarantee privacy
preservation of anonymous communication.
In this respect, non anonymous data message transmitted from the vehicle may
be characterized
according to some embodiments by being charging related data message and not
time related position or
positions data message. Charging according to such data message may for
example be a charge amount
enabling for example to handle potential differentiation in charging fines for
non authorized parking
according to different zones or different classes of zones or different
classes of position.
According to some embodiments, a message indicating that a fine charge should
be performed is
transmitted in case that there is no differentiation between parking places
with respect to a fine charge.
According to some embodiments, monetary charging is applied by a vehicular
charging support
unit or a vehicular charging support unit functionality, such as for example a
TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or
an HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality applying further said fine charge related processes,
According to some embodiments, other functionalities may also be applied with
a said charging
unit or a said charging unit functionality in order to provide more secured
path control operation associated
with incentives.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, a DNA or a C-DNA functionality
may be applied
as an integrated part of a said vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular
charging support unit
functionality in order to guarantee the highest level of secured operation and
therefore the highest level of
acceptance.
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According to some embodiments, under conditions wherein obedience to a guiding
path associated
with a controlled trip is maintained and accordingly entitlement for free of
charge toll as a privilege, and
under conditions wherein according to some predetermined tolerance to
deviations from the guiding path
is accepted (disobedience), for example, a deviation from a guiding path
and/or from a destination that
might be its assigned parking place, which may occur by a mistake or due to a
change that has made to the
destination and which is limited for example by disobedience time duration and
which time limit refers to
a change provided for further obedience according to a respective correction
to the guiding path by a path
control center, and therefore there is no charge involved, there is a need to
confirm no charge conditions
and according to some embodiments confirmation message is transmitted from a
vehicle using said in-
vehicle privacy preserving approach with respective process associated for
example with a toll charging
unit or an HCTU or an in-vehicle TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-
vehicle HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality.
According to some embodiments, a parking charging for authorized parking or
parking time may
be applied separately from a toll/fine charging center, that is through
existing means which includes existing
applications and systems to charge for parking or parking time. Such
separation may enable to maintain
privacy preservation of the path control operation, wherein positions of
parking places should not be
exposed to the toll/fine charging center but to independent existing means.
According to some embodiments a toll/fine charging center may for example be
applied as an agent
of entities that own or are authorized to charge for parking or parking time
in certain places, or according
to some embodiments a toll/fine charging center may include servers which may
serve charging for parking
or parking time while privacy may still be preserved. In this respect, non
exposure of the parking place
that its time and place may be recorded in the in vehicle charging unit or
charging unit functionality for
potential clarification due to a potential appeal may be used with in-vehicle
privacy preservation charging
approach. According to such embodiments, high trust should be built in in-
vehicle privacy preserving
approach with respect to charge for parking or parking time wherein the charge
in may be some cases
critical to justify an economical operation.
If this approach will not be acceptable then charging for parking (whether it
is a said authorized or
a said non authorized parking) may be applied through well established
solutions and there is no real need
to apply such charges through for example a toll/fine charging center.
Mapping parking places, rather than just mapping availability of parking
places and managing
assignments of available parking places in pre-mapped parking places
associated with a PPMS, may further
take benefit of massive usage of path controlled trips which are encouraged
for example by privileged
tolling.
According to some embodiments, a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-
PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality associated with a vehicle may in this respect be
expanded to report on a stoppage
of a vehicle which may indicate according to the time length of the stoppage
about a new potential unknown
parking place and accordingly to trigger a procedure of updating the PPMS with
a new parking place
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wherein the procedure may include visual confirmation that the indication on
potential parking place is a
parking place that should be mapped in the PPMS.
According to some embodiments, the potential need to map a new unknown parking
place is
supported by a search for a match between the stoppage place indication and
pre-mapped parking places in
the PPMS, and if no match is found then a procedure to map a potential mapping
unknown parking place
may be triggered.
Further data that preferably should be associated with pre-mapped parking
places in the PPMS may
but not be limited to include time related parking costs per parking place, if
there is any associated cost,
and if relevant also time related parking permission in parking places or in
parking lots wherein parking
lots or parking regions may be restricted to certain groups of people during
certain times. For example,
parking at the evening in certain places may be restricted to vehicles which
their owners are living nearby
a certain neighborhood, or, for example, parking during working hours near a
working region may be
restricted to vehicles which their owners are working in a nearby place or
neighborhood.
According to some embodiments a toll charging unit or an HCTU or an in-vehicle
TCU-PS or a
TCU-PS functionality or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality,
which performs position
related processes, receives the location of the vehicle from an in-unit or in-
vehicle GNSS receiver apparatus
or from an autonomous vehicle localization apparatus, or from any other
vehicle localization apparatus.
According to some embodiments said unit or unit functionality may but not be
limited to be an integrated
part of said external unit or be integrated with an apparatus of autonomous
vehicles which localize the
vehicle according to vehicular sensors.
Location of an available parking place, according to location of a vehicle
originated by a GNSS,
may be inaccurate with respect to mapping or locating a parking place. Such
inaccuracy might not be an
issue if the management of available parking places in a PPMS is managed by
taking in account ambiguity
in locations of parking places. In this respect inaccuracy associated with a
parking place which is assigned
as a destination of a path controlled trip may be corrected visually by a
driver or by autonomous vehicle
driving means.
According to some embodiments ambiguous locations in a PPMS may be managed for
example
with respect to a pool of adjacent or nearby locations. With such approach the
number of available parking
places in a pool or in nearby locations is more significant than a specific
location for the assignment of
parking places to path control trips, therefore, if 2 or more parking places
may not be accurately
distinguishable from a point of view of a path control system then available
parking places are managed as
a pool in the PPMS.
According to some embodiments, a pool of available parking places are marked
in a PPMS as
available parking places with respect to a pool and as long as the pool
contains available parking places
such parking places may be assigned to path controlled trips according to a
need.
In-vehicle localization by autonomous vehicles may enable high mapping
accuracy of available or
becoming available parking places. In this respect, substantial accurate
location of a parking place and
further substantial accurate indoor navigation abilities may enable according
to some embodiments to
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manage said assignment of concrete parking places as a destinations to path
controlled trips and as well as
guidance to such destination in roofed parking lots.
According to some embodiments, report on an available parking place to a path
control system may
be applied automatically at the time after the vehicle starts a path
controlled trip. For example, by expanding
the processes associated with an in-vehicle TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality
or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS
or an HCTU-PS functionality according to some embodiments by a predetermined
expanded tracking
process which indicates that the vehicle has left its origin by a distance
which may be considered as a
distance that may acceptably assure that the parking place is available or
becoming available in an
acceptable time period.
According to some embodiments, such indication is transmitted to a path
control system, enabling
the path control system to consider that the position or the space related to
the origin of a path controlled
trip can be compared with potential parking places stored in the PPMS by a
respective search process in
order to determine availability. If according to the search result the trip
origin is identified to be a parking
place then the parking place is marked as an available parking place in the
PPMS.
According to some embodiments, confirmation about the availability of the
parking place is further
requested from the vehicle before marking the parking place as an available
parking place, for example
through the user interface of the DNA.
According to some embodiments a report on a location of an available or an
expected to be
available parking place may be applied by a user interface associated with a
DNA according to which a
request for a path controlled trip by a user is associated with a request from
the user to confirm that his
parking place can be assigned to other vehicles after departure to a requested
destination of a path controlled
trip.
According to some embodiments a user response may be applicable for marking
status of expected
to be available parking place which enables the path control system to
consider earlier availability of a
parking place in comparison to a possibility to rely just on an automatic
report according to a departure
from a parking place.
According to some embodiments this may include a request from a potential path
control trip user
to estimate the departure time or the delay in a trip that should be expected,
wherein according to some
embodiments such a time delay should preferably associated with limited
guaranteed level according to
confidence of the requester in order to be rewarded further by privileges
according to privilege provision
criteria. This may be applied for example with a request for a prescheduled
trip.
According to some embodiments, automatic detection of the departure time,
which may found to
substantially match the estimated departure and which may be applies with
prescheduled requests for path
controlled trips as well as with non prescheduled requests, entitles the
vehicle or the vehicle user with some
privilege. Such privilege may refer according to some embodiments to one or
more types of privileges
which may but not be limited to include provision of parking credit which may
enable to reduce current or
even future parking costs and/or provision of said tolling credit, wherein
provision of credit may preferably
be higher for a higher match degree between estimated and actual departure
times. With respect to
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resources for provision of monetary credit privilege, the generated value of
time associated with shortening
travel times on a network, which is recognized by governments, may provide a
resource.
According to some embodiments, traffic predictions applied by a DTA according
to current and
predicted demand of path controlled trips, which demand may include path
controlled trips according to
current requests and according to prescheduled requests for path controlled
trips as well as according to
statistically predicted path controlled and non path controlled trips, is
applied according to a multiple DTA
traffic predictions simulation runs from which runs the average is taken for
said predictive path control.
According to some embodiment prior knowledge about the probability
distribution of the randomness
associated with the demand may be supported by said automatic detection of the
departure times compared
with estimated departure times enabling to refine said probability
distributions.
According to some embodiment an updated probability distribution may enable to
reduce the
number of said DTA based traffic prediction runs, wherein a joint probability
distribution of the demand
comprising human based estimations of departure time may be refined according
to updated probability
distribution that are refined according to the history of individual
estimates. According to some
embodiments, the weight given to a DTA traffic prediction run is proportional
to its weight in the a joint
probability distribution of the demand.
Prescheduled requests for path controlled trips, which include the origin and
the destination pairs,
are more valuable for DTA based traffic predictions than just a report about
estimates of departure times.
This is applicable in general and with respect to possible refinement to said
individual probability
distributions associated with estimated departure times of requests for
prescheduled trips. In general, the
earlier a prescheduled trip is requested the higher might be its value to a
DTA predicted horizon associated
with the control on path controlled trips, wherein the farther the time
interval in predicted horizon the higher
is the dependence of such intervals on the reliability of predicted demand
that may be improved by requests
for prescheduled trip.
More reliable prediction may be obtained by encouraging the use of
prescheduled path controlled
trips, preferably with an option to potentially respond by the requester to
further recommendation by the
path control system on departure time somewhat earlier or later than the
requested departure time in order
to improve travel times.
More reliable prediction of demand may enable to shorten trip times at higher
reliability providing
higher value of travel time saving to the government that may further enable
to provide higher said credits.
According to some embodiments, encouraging requests for prescheduled path
controlled trips is
achieved by providing parking credit for such requests, preferably the level
of the credit may depend also
on the flexibility of the requester to accept recommended departure time
before or after the requested
departure time, and preferably within a reasonable maximum predetermined time
interval which may differ
from one region to another and be dynamic according to time.
According to some embodiments, additional recommended and accepted parking
time beyond the
requested departure time, may be entitled to free of charge parking for this
time which is preferably
provided in addition to cheaper or free of charge parking time. Such
subsidized parking may be justified
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by the government due to, and if there is, expected contribution to gain value
of travel time (which refers
herein after and above to value of saved travel time). Such contribution, for
example, may be evaluated
according to historical computer simulation results, or possibly evaluated at
the time of the request and
possibly confirmed by simulation according to real time results from the path
control. According to such
simulation(s) results the value of credit may be determined and the usage of
such credit or part of it may
potentially be postponed to future parking.
According to some embodiments, subsidizing parking costs may preferably relate
to the last time
interval in the parking time for parking time which exceeds minimum parking
time interval. For example,
subsidy provided after 15min of parking time for the last 30min of the
parking.
In addition to said monetary credits used to encourage requests for
prescheduled trips, or as a
substitution to said monetary credits, encouraging requests for path
controlled trips may according to some
embodiments include or be based on priority credits associated with assigning
available parking places to
path control trips.
In this respect, and as further described in more details, priority in
assignment of available parking
place may but not be limited to include priority with respect to , for
example, closer parking place to a
requested destination, lower cost parking place, shorter time to wait for an
expected availability of a parking
place. Such priority credit may further be related to levels of priority,
wherein more commitment history
or requests for path control trips entitles to higher priority credit as well
as higher reliability of timely
execution of prescheduled trips may further entitle with higher priority
credit.
According to some embodiments, assignment of parking places to path controlled
trips may but not
be limited to include:
a. Transmitting by a vehicle a request to a path control system in order to be
assigned with a path for a
path controlled trip, wherein such a request may be either a request for a non
delayed trip (non
prescheduled trip) or a request for a prescheduled trip, preferably, according
to some embodiment,
including in the request a predetermined procedure according to which an
agreement of the requester
is required to enable assignment of a parking place with a recommended path
for a path controlled trip
as a destination instead of the requested destination,
b. according to a received request for a path controlled trip by a path
control system,
1. searching by the path control system for an available parking place for a
non delayed trip request,
and in due course for a prescheduled trip request, in the vicinity of the
requested destination
according to the content of a PPMS, wherein the search is preferably performed
under
predetermined constraints which may relate to dynamic conditions of demand for
parking places
and to the availability of parking places, and wherein the search considers
the relative location of
potential parking place from the requested destination, for example, according
to predetermined
acceptable distance from requested destination and possibly according some
other constraints,
subject to availability of a relevant parking place,
2. assigning the parking place to the request for path controlled trip for
a non delayed trip request, and
in due course for a prescheduled trip request, and marking the parking place
as an assigned parking
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place in the PPMS or as a tentatively assigned parking place subject to
potential rejection according
to "b.3" if applicable,
3. transmitting assigned parking place to a requesting vehicle if a non
delayed trip is requested, and
in due course to a prescheduled trip requesting vehicle, preferably allowing
rejection or otherwise
acceptance by the requester of the tentatively assigned parking place, in
which case a rejection may
determine the requested destination as the destination of the path controlled
trip, otherwise, if the
parking place assignment is accepted, updating according to "b.1" the PPMS
with respective
assignment of a parking place,
4. submitting by the path control system the received request, associated with
the assigned parking
place destination if applicable, for calculation of a path control trip, for
example by a paths planning
layer, preferably contributing to load balancing coordination processes,
5. determining by the path control system (e.g., by a paths planning layer) a
path for requested path
controlled trip which may be a tentative delayed entry path with respect to a
prescheduled trip.
c. according to relevant conditions and changes in the availability in parking
places, preferably repeating
according to some embodiments relevant stages in stage "b", wherein relevant
conditions to a repetition
may but not be limited to include one or more new updates of available parking
places in the vicinity
of the requested destination, and/or change in the estimated time of arrival
of a path controlled trip to
its requested destination, and wherein changes in availability of parking
places may also affect said
potential repetitions which may but not be limited to consider new relevant
available parking places
which became available after assignment of a parking place to a path
controlled trip,
According to some embodiments, if a vehicle deviates from its assigned path
controlled trip
destination and parks in a parking place which is assigned to some other path
controlled trip then as
mentioned before, for example, an in-vehicle TCU-PS or TCU-PS functionality or
HCTU-PS or HCTU-PS
functionality activates non authorized parking charge procedure to charge the
vehicle owner by a
predetermined fine. This for example may be applied in conjunction with a
usage condition layer
functionality according to the content of a PPMS as described above, wherein
the fine is preferably charged
in addition to road toll charge with respect to the part of the trip which
hasn't used the assigned path of a
path controlled trip to its assigned destination if this was the case.
According to some embodiments, if the vehicle requests a closer and/or a more
convenient parking
place than the destination parking place recommended in stage "b.3", which
might further require waiting
time for new parking place to become available if applicable, then preferably
the waiting time which has a
traffic loading effect on the road network will be charged by tolling, wherein
according to some
embodiments waiting time tolerance for which no charge is allowed may be
applied as well, and wherein
waiting time is determined according to some embodiments by a waiting toll
charging process associated
with a vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular charging support unit
functionality such as for example
a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality.
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According to some embodiments, a search for available parking places to be
assigned to a path
controlled trip according to stage "b 1" is applied at a time when a trip is
close enough to its requested
destination while the requested destination is maintained as the destination
before said search is performed.
Such approach may enable to consider on the one hand the need to minimize
changes in a path controlled
trip due to changes in availability of parking places and in traffic
conditions, wherein continuous changes
in the availability of parking places due to dynamic changes may put a non
productive computation load of
calculations of paths associated with load balancing coordination processes
while frequent changes in
availability of parking places and in the traffic may occur; while on the
other hand still leaving with such
approach flexibility in finding efficiently time dependent shortest path to a
parking place while the vehicle
is still far enough from the requested destination.
According to some embodiments, acceptance of assignment of a parking place to
a path controlled
trip may be applied automatically as part of a request for a path controlled
trip as part of stage "a",
preferably enabling the user to determine the maximum accepted distance of a
parking place from the
requested destination. According to some embodiments, the tolerance to said
maximum requested distance
limit is lower as the shortage in parking places is or may be expected to be
higher in the vicinity of the
requested destination at the time that arrival to the vicinity is expected.
According to some embodiments, assignment of a said tentative parking place in
stage "b" which
is transmitted to a potential user of a path controlled trip may include a
list of options that distinguish among
lower and higher cost parking places which may be relevant to a requested
destination, wherein according
to such embodiments stage 'b", for example, includes determination and
transmission of optional parking
places to be assigned to a path controlled trip enabling the potential
requester to select a preferred choice,
wherein potential choices may include rejection of all suggested parking
places. A user interface provided
with a DNA, through which the request for a path control trip is originated,
may be used to select a preferred
choice which is transmitted to the path control system.
According to some embodiments, a search for a parking place that may relate to
stage 'b" is applied
for a plurality of assignments of parking places to a plurality of requests
for path controlled trips, which
further affects further stages respectively. According to such embodiments, an
optimization process is
applied under constraints that may but not be limited to include availability
of parking places within a
limited vicinity of destinations on which a plurality of path controlled trips
are competing. In this respect,
the objective is preferably to fill available parking places under real time
related constraints.
According to such embodiments the assignment of an available parking is
performed as part of an
optimization process enabling to assign a plurality of parking places to a
plurality of requests of path
controlled trips and/or active path control trips nearby requested
destinations before applying "b.4". As
further described, this process may require to consider according to some
embodiments priority in the
assignment of parking places when priority is applied for encouraging
prescheduled trips by the highest
priority. For example, said optimization process may but not be limited to
include a constraint to apply as
much as possible non discriminating assignments of parking places to the same
considered priority levels,
that is, searching for a set, out of possible sets of assignments of available
parking places as destinations
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for path controlled trips, which minimizes potential differences in distances
from parking places to
requested destinations among the possible assignments. In this respect, if
according to some embodiments,
different priority levels are associated with parking assignments to different
path controlled trips, according
for example to priority credits, then said minimization of differences is
applied for path controlled trips
having the same priority level, or the same range of discrete priority level,
associated with path controlled
trips.
According to some embodiments, a simple distance shortening criterion may
refer to distance
difference between said positions whereas a more advanced distance criterion
is shortest paths for a
pedestrian to walk from a parking place towards a requested destination.
According to some embodiments, random assignments may be applied in case that
discrimination
among requests should unavoidably be applied, for example, while the demand
for one or more parking
places is higher than the supply, that is, fairness in the assignments of
available parking places, for example
for the same considered level of priority, is maximized subject to demand to
supply conditions which may
limit the level of fairness, for example, demand to supply conditions that may
not enable equal level of
distance of parking assignments according to the demand to supply of parking
places.
According to some embodiments, increased level of priority provision is
applied with said possible
optimization according to the probability/possibility to make a parking action
earlier and preferably for
relatively shorter times, enabling with relative provided weights to maximize
the efficiency of the
operation.
According to some embodiments, assignment of a parking place for a path
controlled trip may be
applied according to parking assignment criteria which may but not be limited
to include priority criteria
provided according to relative estimated arrival time of a path controlled
trip to its destination and/or
according to waiting time for assignment of an available parking place in a
vicinity of a destination of a
path controlled trip, and/or a according to weighted priority given to waiting
time versus estimated arrival
time to a destination.
Predictions of demand of trips, that is, prediction of time dependent demand
which refers to time
dependent entries of trips to the network with respect to origin to
destination pairs of trips, are progressively
becoming more dominant with respect to the effect on travel times on the
network along the prediction time
horizon of predictive traffic load balancing. In this respect, vehicles that
were on the road network at the
beginning of the prediction time horizon became less dominant on the road
network while new entries of
vehicles to the road network become more dominant. To make the issue more
concrete, prediction of
demand of trips has an effect on the planning of paths for combined current
and predicted path controlled
trips which planning depends on prior planning of paths for current and
predicted path controlled trips, that
is, planning of paths is effected by historical, current demand predictions at
any cycle of predictive path
control. In other words, planning of paths for path controlled trips which are
currently on the road network
and tentatively for predicted entries to the network is effected by prior,
current and predicted path controlled
trips wherein tentative route plans are associated with predictive//predicted
path controlled trips.
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The reliability of said demand predictions (predicted trip entries according
to origin to destination
pairs) have a progressively higher weight effect on the reliability and the
efficiency of planning of paths
associated with predictive path control as longer is the predictive control
time horizon.
Such planning may become more reliable and more efficient as requests for
prescheduled trips
dominate requests for path controlled trips, that is, predicted schedule of
origin to destination pairs
associated with the requests for prescheduled trips may enable predictive path
control to be applied with
less dependence on zone to zone statistical demand predictions and as a result
origin to destination pairs
and related departure time resolution of the demand prediction on the network
may be increased.
With such approach the resolution of actual departure time in comparison to
estimated departure
time, which depends on dynamic human related constraints, may become an issue
in this respect.
In order to reduce the level of such an issue, prescheduled requests should
preferably be encouraged
by incentives in order to make the burden associated with such requests to be
worthwhile for requesters. In
this respect, although each request for a prescheduled trip contributes to the
demand prediction associated
with predictive path control, and therefore it may be expected that requests
for prescheduled trips will be
rewarded, however, this might not be the case in reality and further
incentives should preferably be
considered as well.
The reason for a need for incentives is that each individual may consider his
contribution to
predictive path control as a marginal contribution which from a personal point
of view might not worth the
burden associated with a process to feed a prescheduled request that requires
to estimate departure time and
further to be committed to the schedule of the request.
Therefore, incentives further to the natural travel time saving incentive is
required in order to
encourage prescheduled requests for path controlled trips, which raises a
further issue with respect to the
type of the incentive that should be used, wherein positive monetary incentive
has a weakness of high cost
while not being very promising to convince a potential requester to request a
prescheduled trip, and wherein
negative incentives might be expected to raise public objection.
In this respect, negative incentives are expected to be unacceptable,
especially due to the need that
a request for a prescheduled trip will be a committing request in order to be
valuable and not
counterproductive.
According to some embodiments, in order to avoid the need to apply negative
incentives to
encourage usage of prescheduled trips, especially negative monetary incentives
such as for example to
charge non prescheduled trips by toll charges, in order to encourage requests
for prescheduled trips by for
example free of charge toll or alternatively by differentiating between
prescheduled trips and non
prescheduled trips according to different levels of toll charging, a different
or a complementary approach
may be applied to encourage requests for prescheduled path controlled trips.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, prescheduled requests and non
prescheduled
requests are differentiated by providing priority in assignment of parking
places to trips that are requested
as prescheduled path controlled trips, that is, prescheduled path controlled
trips, in comparison to non
prescheduled path controlled trips, may be encouraged by priority levels to be
assigned with available
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parking places in the vicinity of the requested destination, wherein priority
levels may but not be limited to
include assignment in conditions of limited availability of parking places
and/or assignment of a closer
parking place to the requested destination and/or assignment of a cheaper
parking place and/or assignment
of a roofed parking place.
According to some embodiments, usage of priority credit may be applied
according to preference
wherein priority types may be chosen according to options provided through for
example a DNA or a DNA
application user interface. For example, one requester of path controlled trip
may prefer to provide high
weight for lower cost parking place, if for example his parking time is
expected to be relatively long,
whereas another one may prefer a more convenient parking place, for example,
if the parking time for
example is expected to be relatively short.
According to some embodiments, prescheduled requests for path controlled trips
entitle with higher
said priority than non prescheduled requests, which may further consider
priorities enabling to differentiate
among prescheduled requests by entitling priority credit levels to
prescheduled trips according to historical
committed level to apply such requests and/or according to historical
contribution of request to traffic
improvement. Such credit may be evaluated by the contribution of a
prescheduled trip to travel-time savings
on the network. According to some embodiments, the contribution value is
evaluated according to computer
simulation which runs two comparable scenarios, wherein one scenario is the
real time scenario which
includes the executed prescheduled path controlled trip, as part of the
predictive control operation, whereas
the other scenario is based on off line computer simulation as if a non
prescheduled requested path
controlled trip was executed.
According to some embodiments, contribution of predictive effect includes also
estimated versus
real departure time associated with a prescheduled request for a path
controlled trip. In this respect the
estimated departure time which has been taken into account with the traffic
prediction associated with the
predictive traffic load balancing operation may in case of a mismatch with the
executed time of the
prescheduled trip reduce the potential contribution of a prescheduled request,
at the best case, whereas, at
the worst case, to negatively contribute to the traffic load balancing
operation. Therefore, the said evaluation
of the contribution of a prescheduled trip to the traffic improvement
according to computer simulation, in
order to entitle the prescheduled trip with credit to get for example priority
in assignment of parking places
or any other privilege, needs a further consideration in case of a said
mismatch.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, in case of a said mismatch
preferably computer
simulations should evaluate potential loss or even potential counterproductive
contribution of the mismatch.
With such approach, the real time operation, which takes into account the
estimated time of departure of a
request for a prescheduled path controlled trip, is compared first with an off-
line scenario wherein the
executed departure time which should have been taken into account is
synthesized and eventually this was
not the case, and accordingly the potential loss of said mismatch is
determined.
In order to further evaluate potential benefit of the mismatch a further
scenario, wherein a
hypothetical non-prescheduled path controlled trip is used, is performed, and
accordingly, a benefit or a
loss is determined according to a comparison with the prior calculated lost
benefit.
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The result may be positive contribution or negative contribution of a
prescheduled request for a
path-controlled trip in terms of travel-time savings on the network which may
according to some
embodiments be converted to official value of travel time savings which is
recognized officially by a
government in order to consider further monetary related privileges as
described hereinafter and above.
Since there are mutual effects among trips according to different said
scenarios, the offline
simulated scenarios are preferably performed in conditions wherein all the
matched and the mismatched
requests are part of a simulation run and the specific credit per prescheduled
trip is calculated according to
its specific contribution to the overall time savings. In this respect, the
calculation may relate to any
acceptable formula that may entitle relative said credit or even monetary
related credit according to the
saved travel time and/or to the value of saved travel time on the network.
Evaluated credit, in this respect, may but not be limited to include in said
formula factors that may
affect linearly or non-linearly calculated contribution of prescheduled trips
to travel time savings or travel
time loss on the network. This may or may not relate to the history of said
match or mismatch with respect,
for example, to the frequency of prescheduled trips in the overall trips of a
vehicle (level of routine usage
of prescheduled path control trips) and/or the cumulative contribution or
relative cumulative contribution
to travel time saving or travel time loss.
According to some embodiments, in order to guarantee high commitment to apply
requests for
prescheduled trips, said parking assignment priority credit is provided as a
pre-assigned credit at the time
when a vehicle joins the operation, wherein according to some embodiments said
credit is maintained as
long as requests for prescheduled trips are routinely applied from the
vehicle. In this respect, identification
of a non-prescheduled request or non-acceptable said mismatch may decrease the
credit level.
According to some embodiments, toleration to said non-prescheduled requests
may preferably be
applied, enabling according to a predetermined process to tolerate, per
limited time period, that historical
related behavior credit will not be decreased for exceptional behavior, such
as one or more non
.. prescheduled requests, in case that routinely requested prescheduled trips
are applied with a vehicle usage.
According to some embodiments a plurality of levels associated with reducing
said parking
assignment credit, wherein the lower the mismatch time difference between an
estimated departure time
associated with a prescheduled request for a path control trip and the actual
departure time, the lower is
preferably the reduction in the potential entitled credit, preferably the
reduction requires minimum time
difference to which such a process absorbs tolerance requiring no reduction in
potential credit provision.
According to some embodiments, remote updates of the departure time and/or
updates of the
destination may be applied, for example, by a Smartphone application enabling
to update departure time
according to for example personal changes in schedule or in a destination.
According to some embodiments
such updates affect the credit and may reduce more moderately the credit level
due to a said mismatch.
According to some embodiments, credit which provides priority in assignment of
parking places
to path controlled trips is applied to encourage usage of prescheduled and non-
prescheduled path controlled
trips, wherein instead of using privileged road toll to encourage usage of
path controlled trips the parking
assignment priority credit is used to encourage requests for prescheduled and
requests for non prescheduled
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path controlled trips while providing priority to prescheduled requests. This
might potentially make
redundant the need for privileged tolling in case that parking shortage is an
acute issue.
According to some embodiments, identification of a departure time in order to
determine mismatch
between executed departure time and estimated departure time, associated with
a prescheduled request for
path controlled trip, may be applied for example by an in-vehicle certified
unit or an in-vehicle charging
unit, such as for example TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-vehicle
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality, which according to some embodiments performs processes to
identify that the vehicle
associated with the prescheduled request for a path controlled trip has left
the origin of the trip according
to a change in the position of the vehicle.
According to some embodiments, said processes may include calculation of a new
potential credit
level according to identified mismatch between the actual departure time and
estimated or updated estimate
of departure time.
According to some embodiments, executed recommendation by a path control
system to postpone
or to precede departure time that may be transmitted to a DNA or a DNA
functionality or to a Smartphone
entitles credit for example such as is associated with execution of a
prescheduled trip. Such a recomandation
may be associated with an estimated travel time saving due to agreement to
postpone the trip with, for
example 5min, during which time the requester for a path controlled trip may
gain personal time occupation.
According to some embodiments a request for prescheduled trip that its
departure time is postponed
or preceded, according to said recommendation, is entitled according to some
embodiments to higher credit
than a prescheduled trip would entitled. This may further be applied with non-
prescheduled trips as well
wherein according to a said recommendation the requester may be asked for
example to postpone the
departure time.
According to some embodiments, said reduction in potential credit provision
associated with
mismatch may involve further mismatch charge in case that frequent significant
misleading prescheduled
trips are performed, that is, requests according to which frequent significant
mismatches are found between
estimated and executed departure time, including said possible mismatch
according to updated estimates.
According to such embodiments, further calculation of credit is applied
according to predetermined
criteria and, accordingly, a charging process is performed. According to some
embodiments, the charging
is applied by using a vehicular charging support unit or a vehicular charging
support unit functionality,
such as for example an in-vehicle TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-
vehicle HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality related processes, With such approach, a charging
transaction is preferably
performed by said in-vehicle privacy preserving transaction which exposes no
time related position or even
ambiguous time related position from the charging center, as described above
with toll and fine charging
processes.
The responsibility of a requester to estimate departure time and potential
updates to such estimates
has a weakness with respect to its potential applicability, especially if such
approach involves potential
mismatch charge. In this respect, according to some embodiments, a more
acceptable approach applies a
request for a prescheduled trip that includes provision of the following
options:
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1. to enter an estimated departure time,
2. to enter a certain waiting time period during which a departure is not
expected to be performed in order
to enable to receive a reminder according to said waiting time which reminder
may include said options 1
and 2 and the following option 3,
3. to cancel the process of a request for prescheduled path controlled trip,
Said reminder may be applicable to be used with short or long term of parking,
for example, with
a meeting that is expected to take an hour, or with a working day that is
expected to take 9 hours, etc.
Such options may be provided through a user interface of a DNA or DNA
functionality and/or a
Smartphone application, wherein a Smartphone application provides the most
suitable means to respond to
said reminder. In this respect, the Smartphone application is according to
some embodiment approved to
apply said reminder by in vehicle certified charging unit or charging unit
functionality, such as for example
TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality. Approval
may be a temporary approval, for example, to the last driver Smartphone that
has left the vehicle, enabling
different drivers to use at different times a vehicle and apply remotely
prescheduled trip. According to some
embodiments, the last driver Smartphone may be approved according to user
interface that may include
potential transfer of approval to another Smartphone.
According to some embodiments, the approval uses a process according to which
a vehicle
identification characteristic (such as car plate identification number)
associated with random number
(preferably generated by said in-vehicle charging unit or unit functionality)
are transmitted from a said
charging unit or unit functionality to the Smartphone application and to a
path control system enabling the
path control system to authenticate the Smartphone application while
maintaining prescheduled requests
according to or with reminders on behalf a certain vehicle. Such a process may
be performed automatically
with Bluetooth communication during a trip wherein only one Smartphone is
preferably approved to further
maintain prescheduled requests associated with a certain vehicle. A reminder
in this respect is associated
according to some embodiments with a timer process in the Smartphone enabling
to remind the Smartphone
user about the need to respond to said prescheduled trip update or further to
request for a reminder.
Applying said reminders may enable further to maintain more robustly
predictions for a predictive
time horizon of a path control system. For example, a reminder that is
performed more than 30 min before
the end of a period of time that a departure is not expected to be performed
enables 30 min traffic predictions
at a higher confidence then just relying on pre-estimated departure times
without a reminder. Such approach
may be expected to make prescheduled trip requests more acceptable and, as a
result, to make DTA based
traffic predictions less dependent on statistical predictions of demand of
trips. In this respect, potential
mismatches are expected to be reduced in their amount and in their values,
making said mismatch charge
to be rarely applied. According to some embodiments, in addition or as a
substitution to the use of parking
assignment priority credit to encourage productive execution of path
controlled trips according to
prescheduled requests, free of charge toll or relatively higher toll discount
is applied with execution of
prescheduled requests in comparison to execution of path controlled trips that
are applied according to non
prescheduled request.
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In this respect execution of path-controlled trips according to non
prescheduled requests are entitled
respectively with discount in toll charging in comparison with execution of
non path controlled trips,
wherein in case that prescheduled trips are charged by road toll then toll
charge discount applied with a non
prescheduled path control trip is lower than a discount that is applied with a
prescheduled path controlled
trip.
According to such embodiments, a difference between estimated departure time
associated with a
prescheduled request for a path controlled trip and actual departure time
(said mismatch) differentiates
between said entitlement for said parking assignment credit and/or for free of
charge toll and/or for toll
discount, wherein the higher the difference the lower is the entitlement for
privileges.
According to some embodiments, predetermined tolerated value of said mismatch
does not reduce
the level of entitlement for free of charge toll or for relative toll discount
and/or for parking priority credit
associated with execution of prescheduled path controlled trips, wherein for
higher deviation than the
tolerated value reduction in the level of entitled privileges is progressively
increased up to a level wherein
the mismatch becomes counterproductive and may require to apply according to
some embodiment a
mismatch charge.
According to some embodiments, a mismatch charge is not applied while said
reminders disable to
reach such a level. In case that there is no response to said reminder then
the request for a prescheduled
path controlled trip is canceled automatically by a path control system
preferably informing to said
approved Smartphone application about the cancellation while saving the need
to apply mismatch charges.
Automatic cancellation is taken into account with further predictions by
increasing the relative
weight of statistical demand predictions.
According to such embodiments, said processes associated with differential
related provision of
privileges are applied with respective expansion of processes associated with
a vehicular charging support
unit or a vehicular charging support unit functionality, such as for example
TCU or an HCTU or a TCU-
PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS
functionality, in conjunction
with expanded processes associated with a path control center (applied for
example by a paths planning
layer) and/or a toll charging center (applied for example by a usage condition
layer).
In this respect toll charge calculation or confirmation of free of charge toll
and/or priority credits
determination for assignments of parking places, associated with said
privileges, is performed by, for
example, a TCU or an HCTU or a TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an in-
vehicle HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality.
According to some embodiments the indication from a TCU or an HCTU or a TCU-PS
or a TCU-
PS functionality or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality is
received for priority credits
associated with parking assignments which is managed by a path control system.
According to identified type of the trip as a prescheduled trip according to
the request that is
received from a DNA or a DNA application to a TCU or an HCTU or a TCU-PS or a
TCU-PS functionality
or an in-vehicle HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality which identifies the
departure time, determination
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of possible mismatch level is further performed for example by an in-vehicle
TCU or an HCTU or a TCU-
PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality.
According to some embodiments, any or some of the embodiments associated with
monetary
charges, including non-monetary management of incentives, may be applied with
central privacy
preservation approach rather than the described in-vehicle privacy
preservation approach.
In this respect, according to some embodiments, a TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an
HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality
supports central privacy preserving processes wherein calculation of charges
and provision of privileges is
applied by a central system, e.g., a toll charging center (e.g., a usage
condition layer) or a path control
system (e.g., a path planning layer) which receives time related positions
that are transmitted from a TCU
or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-
PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality.
According to some embodiments two types of vehicular units, or unit
application, a centralized
supporting and an in-vehicle supporting privilege and charging related
calculations unit, or unit application,
wherein each type may be applied by vehicular unit such as for example a TCU
or a TCU functionality or
an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-
PS functionality, wherein the owner of the vehicle may have an option to
choose the preferred approach.
In this respect, a central privacy preserving approach stores the privacy
related data in a central
storage with prevention of a non authorized entity or non authorized person to
access such data according
to predetermined rules. According to some embodiments, one type of said unit
related service is provided
for no charge while the other type is charged by for example the authorities,
wherein according to some
embodiments the more costly approach is charged. According to some
embodiments, the charged solution
is the in-vehicle privacy preserving solution while the central privacy
preserving solution is provided for
no charge.
According to some embodiments, path control operation which its efficiency
depends on massive
usage of path controlled trips and which usage is encouraged by privileged
tolling and which may be applied
in a certain metropolitan area or at a level of a city network or in a region
within a metropolitan area or in
a region within a city, respective road networks or part of the networks in
which path control operation is
applied are equipped at their entry points with Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR) trap sensors.
This may enable to validate usage of for example a TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an
HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an
HCTU-PS functionality
by validating communication ability with a recognized or non recognized
vehicle in order to prevent a fine
charge from vehicles that are using an in-vehicle device such as, for example,
a TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-
PS functionality, a TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU
functionality or TCU-PS or a
TCU-PS functionality or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality according to
required regulation.
If a client IP address (in a client server architecture) is used with the in-
vehicle device then
communication to validate usage of a said in-vehicle device may be triggered
by the in-vehicular device
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according to in-vehicle updated map of ANPRs and according to in-vehicle
localization by, for example, a
TCU or a TCU functionality or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a
TCU-PS functionality
or an HCTU-PS or an HCTU-PS functionality, enabling to confirm said usage.
Such approach may according to some embodiments be applied with any ANPR trap
on the road
network, that is, not just with entries to a controlled road network or a
controlled part of a road network.
Updates on the map of ANPR traps may be updated according to a prescheduled
process which for
example checks periodically updates on a path control server for example by a
TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-
PS functionality or through a DNA or DNA functionality.
According to such embodiments, vehicles which enter such regions should be
equipped according
to regulations with a required type of vehicle device such as, for example, a
TCU or a TCU functionality
or an HCTU or an HCTU functionality or TCU-PS or a TCU-PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS or an HCTU-
PS functionality. Therefore, vehicles that do not routinely enter said regions
should preferably have option
to temporarily use a portable version of said vehicular units. Such a portable
device may read vehicle
authentication data through for example connected car wireless communication
means enabling to
communicate with in-vehicle means which store vehicle authentication related
data such as for example
certified data source for vehicle identification number and/or vehicle
registration number, or, for example,
to receive vehicle identification number through on-board diagnostic connector
or on-board diagnostic port
in the vehicle or through a split of an access to on board diagnostic port.
Said in-vehicle privacy preservation applied by said vehicular units may
according to some
embodiment be an enabling capability to apply robustly said anonymous path
control operation based on
massive usage of path controlled trips. This is the case even though the in-
vehicle privacy preservation may
in reality be applied for part or even a minority of the potential users of
path controlled trips, wherein the
other users may use a centralized privacy preservation approach. The reason
that the in-vehicle privacy
preservation approach provides an enabling capability at any share of usage is
its ability to prevent claims
against big brother syndrome which might lead to a level of a legal issue. In
this respect, the ability to
maintain anonymous path controlled trips enables to promote regulation with no
fear that due to legal
petition massive usage of path controlled trips may not be able to become
applicable.
Security is a further major factor in this respect, wherein the higher the
level of integration level
between said charging and credit management support functionalities and DNA
related functionalities the
higher is the level that may guarantee the highest security level. According
to different embodiments
different levels of integration has been described wherein said integrated
solution may have an appealing
approach while a Smartphone OEM platform is considered to apply such
integration. In this respect, the
Smartphone OEM platform is installed with software that may but not be limited
to include:
1. an in-vehicle charging support and credit management functionalities,
possibly expanded with said
additional functionalities and/or other related functionalities, which may be
applied for example by
a TCU functionality or with an HCTU functionality or with a TCU-PS
functionality or with an
HCTU-PS functionality, and
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2. a DNA or a DNA functionality or a C-DNA or a C-DNA functionality as
long as it is applicable.
In this respect secured integrated approach, according to some embodiment, may
refer to an in-vehicle
dedicated unit that that serves as a TCU or as an HCTU or as a TCU-PS or as an
HCTU-PS on a Smartphone
OEM platform, which is expanded by an acceptably secured DNA software
application.
According to some embodiments, an example of such integration may but not be
limited to include
on a common apparatus a DNA functionality with a TCU functionality or a DNA
functionality with an
HCTU functionality or DNA functionality with a TCU-PS functionality or DNA
functionality with an
HCTU-PS functionality, wherein the integrated solution is restricted to apply
said in-vehicle privacy
preserving approach constraints, and wherein said common apparatus may but not
limited to comprise:
a Smartphone motherboard that according to some embodiments may but not be
limited to be integrated
with:
= Processes and communication related chips (e.g., CPU, wireless and wired
communication chips)
= Memory chips (RAM, ROM, NVRAM, etc,)
= Antennas to support wireless communication
= Localization aided chips (e.g., GNSS receiver, accelerometer A-GPS, etc,)
= Input/output chips (e.g., USB, etc,)
= expansion slots as an option for connecting peripherals
= preferably a dual SIM or eSIM support enabling to support anonymous and
non anonymous
communication wherein such approach enables in general to keep ongoing
communication with a path
control system and with a charging system enabling non interrupted
communication while for example
said RAC/ACP is required during execution of a path controlled trip.
Otherwise, wherein a single SIM or
eSIM is used, then further different virtually random related IP addresses at
different times should be used
for anonymous and non anonymous communication which IP addresses may but not
be limited to be
assigned according to some embodiments by resetting the transceiver with a
transition from one IP address
to another,
wherein the housing unit comprises but not being limited according to some
embodiments to;
= Said Smartphone motherboard,
= Smartphone battery,
= USB connector (for power input and for infotainment system connection
option),
= Housing
and wherein the housing may but not limited to exclude according to some
embodiments:
= Smartphone screen,
= Smartphone camera,
= Non relevant elements such as microphone, connectors, sensors and other
non relevant elements such
as motherboard chips, etc.,
and wherein the Smartphone motherboard is installed with software which
includes but not being limited
according to some embodiments to:
= A DNA application
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= TCU functionality processes or HCTU functionality processes or TCU-PS
functionality processes or
HCTU-PS functionality processes
= Possibly an operating system such as Android, i0S, Windows, etc.,
= Preferably MirrorLink software application (from Car Connectivity
Consortium) or other similar
software applications such as CarPlay etc., enabling to use in vehicle
infotainment system to support at
least the user interface wherein user interface is required to apply a DNA
application and said
applications related to a TCU functionality or an HCTU functionality or a TCU-
PS functionality or an
HCTU-PS functionality,
= Possibly remote access (possibly including SAP or BAP of Bluetooth SIG)
enabling to communicate
with user interface of a Smartphone, for example, to enable said approval of a
Smartphone to receive
possible said reminders to update or to request prescheduled path controlled
trips and to respond
according to the reminder,
= Access by TCU functionality processes or by HCTU functionality processes
or by TCU-PS
functionality processes or by HCTU-PS functionality processes to external or
to on-motherboard stored
authentication such as vehicle identification number and/or other vehicle
related identifying
characteristic stored for example on the motherboard such as for example a
vehicle registration number,
wherein according to some embodiments the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment
Identifier)
associated with the motherboard may serve as vehicle related identifying
characteristic with respect to
relevant embodiments described hereinafter and above, whereas according to
some embodiments more
than a single vehicle related identifying characteristic are used with
authentication processes associated
with TCU functionality processes or by HCTU functionality processes or by TCU-
PS functionality
processes or by HCTU-PS functionality processes which may include but not be
limited to vehicle
identification number, vehicle registration number/car plate characteristic,
IMEI,
and wherein a said integrated unit may refer hereinafter to one of the
abbreviations: DNA-TCU or DNA-
HCTU or DNA-TCU-PS or DNA-HCTU-PS respectively.
According to some embodiments, said integrated unit may further include or
substitute
functionalities described with prior embodiments of a toll charging unit such
as its apparatus and processes
associated with storing data on or reading data from the unit or reading
external data by the unit.
According to some embodiments the motherboard includes component to support
data
communication wherein voice and video elements are excluded.
Figure 4i1 illustrates schematically said integrated in-vehicle unit wherein
260 refers to Smatphone
motherboard, and wherein an optional wireless communication between 260 and
265 enables to borrow
SIM related data from a user mobile Smartphone to be used by 260 using for
example rSAP or
similar/compatible functionality. 265 enables to remotely control 260 wherein
MirrorLink or
similar/compatible functionality is used for example.
According to some embodiments, the above described integrated unit solution
which apply said
MirrorLink to interact with an in vehicle infotainments system may further
interact with a MirrorLink
emulation software installed as an application on for example a Smartphone,
enabling to emulate in-vehicle
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infotainment system functionality in this respect. Such approach may convert a
non secured communication
by a personal mobile phone, which is vulnerable to uncontrolled downloads of
applications, to a secured
communication wherein the loaded software on said motherboard is under
control.
Fig 4i2 illustrates schematically such a configuration wherein the personal
Smartphone is used for
display and control, substituting the functionality of 264 by expanded 265 in
comparison to fig. 4i1.
According to some embodiments, TCU functionality processes or HCTU
functionality processes
or TCU-PS functionality processes or HCTU-PS functionality processes are
software installed processes
on a mobile phone motherboard applied with any configuration associated with a
dedicated TCU or an
HCTU or an TCU-PS or an HCTU-PS, wherein, according to some embodiments, in
comparison to the
described integrated solutions a said motherboard includes no internal DNA
application and related
communication support such as the MirrorLink, and wherein a DNA or a DNA
application or a C-DNA or
a C-DNA application is an external means which interacts with a a dedicated
TCU or an HCTU or an TCU-
PS or an HCTU-PS as described with respective embodiments.
The different levels of integration described above which enable to consider
reduction in
vulnerability to potential hacking are presented for potential implementation
wherein a non highly
guaranteed privacy preservation may leave a major issue open with respect to
the ability to force negative
incentives on the public especially where the right for privacy is protected
under the low.
In summary, the motive that stands behind in-vehicle privacy preservation
approach is to enable
the highest level of privacy with respect to management of incentives for
anonymous path control operation
wherein incentives are dependent on the level of disobedience. Such privacy
preservation, if would be
offered according to demand even as an option, it may prevent potential legal
issues associated with claims
against potential big brother syndrome, especially if there is an alternative.
As a result of applicable in-
vehicle privacy preserving approach option, authorities may consider to apply
path control operation
without being bothered by potential legal and public objection issues, wherein
said incentives may include
monetary negative incentives and wherein negative incentives have the highest
potential to generate
massive usage of path controlled trips by affordable investment that positive
incentives may doubtfully
achieve even with non affordable investment. Such an approach may enable to
apply car navigation based
predictive load balance control on city road networks, using traffic
predictions based on on-line DTA, by
taking benefit of a method that generates protected conditions that reduce
dependency of on-line DTA
based traffic predictions on stochastic route choice models and non reliable
calibration by discouraging
disobedience to anonymous dynamic navigation applying path controlled trips,
using non-anonymous
incentives that are related to a level of disobedience to anonymous path
controlled trips while enabling
disobedience details to remain anonymous, the method may but not limited to
comprise:
a. receiving by in vehicle apparatus data associated with time related varying
positions of a path which
should be developed according to dynamic path updates received by an in-
vehicle driving navigation
aid,
b. tracking and storing positions of the vehicle along a trip by in vehicle
apparatus,
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c. comparing by an in-vehicle apparatus said tracked time related positions
with time related positions
of said path that should be developed according to dynamic path updates, and
determining according
to said comparison an incentive related value,
d. transmitting by in-vehicle apparatus said incentive related value through a
commercial
communication network, wherein the transmitted data is a non anonymous
transmitted data which
includes no trip related position data, and wherein the transmitter is
associated with a personally
charged SIM profile or eSIM profile which its assigned IP address associated
with non-anonymous
transmission is virtually randomly related to an assigned IP address
associated with anonymous
transmission from the vehicle.
e. Transmitting as part of an Authentication Confirming Process (ACP) a
request for Robust
Authentication Characteristic (RAC),
wherein the complexity of the DTA calibration is further reduced as a result
of said protected conditions
that increases anonymous position updates transmitted by vehicles using path
controlled trips, and wherein
according to some embodiments demand model of the DTA is improved by further
applying parking
assignment priority related credit-incentives with usage of prescheduled
requests for path controlled trips
wherein according to some embodiments incentive is applied by in-vehicle
privacy preserving approach
wherein in this respect the level of an incentive is determined by the in-
vehicle apparatus according to the
time difference between estimated and executed departure time and wherein the
lower the time difference
the higher is the incentive level that increases the balance of the credit
whereas if the a time difference
exceeds a certain time limit then a decrease in the credit balance is applied
wherein the higher the time
difference the higher is the decrease in the balance of the credit and wherein
the balance of the credit is
transmitted according to some embodiments to a path control center (applied by
e.g., a paths planning layer)
with a request for a prescheduled trip using non anonymous communication and
wherein the value of a
change in the balance is transmitted according to some embodiments to a server
of for example an expanded
toll charging system (applied by e.g., by a user condition layer).
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