IP Library Granted Patent US 11,514,276
Granted Patent B2
US 11,514,276 · App. 17/174,768 · Granted Nov 29, 2022

System and method for detecting and classifying recurrent stops of a vehicle fleet

Inventors: Samuele Salti (Prato, IT); Francesco Sambo (Padua, IT); Leonardo Taccari (Florence, IT); Luca Bravi (Scandicci, IT); Alessandro Lori (Florence, IT)
Assignee: Verizon Connect Development Limited
G06K9/628G06K9/6217G06N20/20G06Q30/0205
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,514,276
App. No.
17/174,768
Granted
Nov 29, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and system for identifying recurrent stops of a vehicle fleet having a plurality of vehicles. The method comprises retrieving historical GPS tracks of the vehicle fleet over a period of time; detecting stops made by the vehicle fleet along travelled routes that are associated with the historical GPS tracks; constructing a coverage area that covers the travelled routes; discretizing the coverage area into a plurality of cells; determining whether a cell is a recurrent stop based on a fleet stay period associated with that cell; and classifying a determined recurrent stop into a plurality of categories.

Claims (72)

1. A method, comprising:

determining, by a device, a first fleet stay period based on a total length of time associated with vehicles stopped in a cell, of a plurality of cells, covering travel routes used by a vehicle fleet, and

wherein the total length of time identifies a time duration in which the vehicles are stopped in the cell;

determining, by the device, whether the cell is a first recurrent stop based on the first fleet stay period satisfying a threshold;

determining, by the device, that an adjacent cell, of the plurality of cells, is a second recurrent stop based on a second fleet stay period associated with the adjacent cell; and

merging, by the device, the cell with the adjacent cell to form a merged single recurrent stop from the first recurrent stop and the second recurrent stop.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the merged single recurrent stop is represented by a smallest possible bounding box containing all stops inside the merged single recurrent stop.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether the merged single recurrent stop overlaps with a third recurrent stop; and

merging the merged single recurrent stop and the third recurrent stop to form a new recurrent stop.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjacent cell is:

horizontally adjacent to the cell

vertically adjacent to the cell, or

diagonally adjacent to the cell.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a vehicle is determined to be stopped based on whether the vehicle is determined, based on historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet, to be in one or more of:

a STOP state, or

an IDLING state.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein merging the cell with the adjacent cell to form the merged single recurrent stop comprises:

merging other adjacent cells determined to be recurrent stops to form the merged single recurrent stop.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold is based on one or more of:

a size of the vehicle fleet,

characteristics of a business operation associated with the vehicle fleet,

a cell size associated with the plurality of cells, or

a period associated with retrieval of historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to:

determine a first fleet stay period based on a total length of time associated with vehicles stopped in a cell, of a plurality of cells, covering travel routes used by a vehicle fleet, and

wherein the total length of time identifies a time duration in which the vehicles are stopped in the cell;

determine whether the cell is a first recurrent stop based on the first fleet stay period satisfying a threshold;

determine that an adjacent cell, of the plurality of cells, is a second recurrent stop based on a second fleet stay period associated with the adjacent cell; and

merge the cell with the adjacent cell to form a merged single recurrent stop from the first recurrent stop and the second recurrent stop.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the merged single recurrent stop is represented by a smallest possible bounding box containing all stops inside the merged single recurrent stop.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the device to:

determine whether the merged single recurrent stop overlaps with a third recurrent stop; and

merge the merged single recurrent stop and the third recurrent stop to form a new recurrent stop.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the adjacent cell is:

horizontally adjacent to the cell

vertically adjacent to the cell, or

diagonally adjacent to the cell.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein a vehicle is determined to be stopped based on whether the vehicle is determined, based on historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet, to be in one or more of:

a STOP state, or

an IDLING state.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the device to merge the cell with the adjacent cell to form the merged single recurrent stop, cause the device to:

merge other adjacent cells determined to be recurrent stops to form the merged single recurrent stop.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the threshold is based on one or more of:

a size of the vehicle fleet,

characteristics of a business operation associated with the vehicle fleet,

a cell size associated with the plurality of cells, or

a period associated with retrieval of historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet.

15. A device, comprising:

one or more processors configured to:

determine a first fleet stay period based on a total length of time associated with vehicles stopped in a cell, of a plurality of cells, covering travel routes used by a vehicle fleet, and

wherein the total length of time identifies a time duration in which the vehicles are stopped in the cell;

determine whether the cell is a first recurrent stop based on the first fleet stay period satisfying a threshold;

determine that an adjacent cell, of the plurality of cells, is a second recurrent stop based on a second fleet stay period associated with the adjacent cell; and

merge the cell with the adjacent cell to form a merged single recurrent stop from the first recurrent stop and the second recurrent stop.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the merged single recurrent stop is represented by a smallest possible bounding box containing all stops inside the merged single recurrent stop.

17. The device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine whether the merged single recurrent stop overlaps with a third recurrent stop; and

merge the merged single recurrent stop and the third recurrent stop to form a new recurrent stop.

18. The device of claim 15 , wherein the adjacent cell is:

horizontally adjacent to the cell

vertically adjacent to the cell, or

diagonally adjacent to the cell.

19. The device of claim 15 , wherein a vehicle is determined to be stopped based on whether the vehicle is determined, based on historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet, to be in one or more of:

a STOP state, or

an IDLING state.

20. The device of claim 15 , wherein the threshold is based on one or more of:

a size of the vehicle fleet,

characteristics of a business operation associated with the vehicle fleet,

a cell size associated with the plurality of cells, or

a period associated with retrieval of historical GPS tracks associated with the vehicle fleet.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 13, 2021
From: VERIZON CONNECT IRELAND LIMITED
To: VERIZON CONNECT DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055911/0506 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 12, 2021
From: SALTI, SAMUELE; SAMBO, FRANCESCO; TACCARI, LEONARDO; BRAVI, LUCA; LORI, ALESSANDRO
To: FLEETMATICS IRELAND LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055246/0680 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 12, 2021
From: FLEETMATICS IRELAND LIMITED
To: VERIZON CONNECT IRELAND LIMITED
Reel/Frame 055246/0706 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15545951
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