U.S. patent application number 15/122986 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-16 for driving lane change suggestions.
The applicant listed for this patent is INRIX INC.. Invention is credited to Christopher L. Scofield, Scott Sedlik.
Application Number | 20170076598 15/122986 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54055737 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170076598 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scofield; Christopher L. ;
et al. |
March 16, 2017 |
DRIVING LANE CHANGE SUGGESTIONS
Abstract
Various types of vehicle navigation may facilitate a driver of a
vehicle, including lane suggestions (e.g., a message indicating
that the current route of the vehicle involves an exit from the
rightmost lane of a causeway). A device may be configured to
formulate lane change suggestions by detecting a current lane of
the driver; comparing the travel conditions of the current lane
with the travel conditions of other lanes of the causeway; and
presenting a lane change suggestion of another lane presenting
advantageous travel conditions as compared with the current lane.
The inclusion of the current lane in the selection and formulation
of lane change suggestions may improve the relevance of the
suggestions (e.g., presenting lane change suggestions only if the
travel condition of another lane is advantageous over the current
lane, and presenting lane change suggestions relative to the
current lane, e.g., "move two lanes to the left").
Inventors: |
Scofield; Christopher L.;
(Seattle, WA) ; Sedlik; Scott; (Mercer Island,
WA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INRIX INC., |
KIRKLAND |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54055737 |
Appl. No.: |
15/122986 |
Filed: |
March 3, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
March 3, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US15/18383 |
371 Date: |
September 1, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61946962 |
Mar 3, 2014 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/3667 20130101;
G08G 1/065 20130101; G08G 1/097 20130101; H04W 4/024 20180201; G08G
1/096775 20130101; G06F 16/29 20190101; G08G 1/093 20130101; A61B
5/02055 20130101; B64C 39/024 20130101; H04W 12/08 20130101; A61B
5/024 20130101; G08G 1/096725 20130101; A61B 5/0476 20130101; B60W
2040/0872 20130101; H04W 4/40 20180201; G08G 1/0145 20130101; B60W
2720/10 20130101; G01C 21/3415 20130101; G05D 1/021 20130101; H04M
15/60 20130101; A61B 5/4845 20130101; B60W 2555/20 20200201; B60W
2710/18 20130101; B64C 2201/123 20130101; G01C 21/3469 20130101;
G06Q 30/0283 20130101; G07B 15/063 20130101; G08G 1/096811
20130101; G08G 1/096822 20130101; H04B 7/18504 20130101; H04L 67/02
20130101; G08G 1/0965 20130101; H04W 4/42 20180201; B60W 40/04
20130101; G01C 21/3617 20130101; G08G 1/096791 20130101; G01C
21/3682 20130101; G06N 20/00 20190101; G08G 1/096838 20130101; G08G
1/07 20130101; H04W 4/48 20180201; G07B 15/00 20130101; B60R
16/0236 20130101; B60W 2552/00 20200201; B60W 2710/1044 20130101;
G06Q 20/102 20130101; G08G 1/0967 20130101; B60W 30/143 20130101;
H04B 1/3822 20130101; G08G 1/0129 20130101; G06Q 40/08 20130101;
G08G 1/0962 20130101; H04L 67/306 20130101; H04W 4/029 20180201;
G01C 21/3655 20130101; G05D 1/0011 20130101; G08G 1/0112 20130101;
H04L 9/3247 20130101; H04W 4/50 20180201; B60W 2040/0809 20130101;
G05D 1/0088 20130101; B60W 2540/22 20130101; G08G 1/096741
20130101; G01C 21/3608 20130101; G08G 1/012 20130101; B60W 40/08
20130101; G06Q 50/30 20130101; A61B 5/0531 20130101; B60W 40/09
20130101; B60W 2050/0089 20130101; G08G 1/0141 20130101; B60W
2554/00 20200201; G06Q 2240/00 20130101; G07C 5/008 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G08G 1/0967 20060101
G08G001/0967; G08G 1/01 20060101 G08G001/01 |
Claims
1. A method of facilitating a driver of a vehicle, the method
involving a device having a processor and comprising: executing on
the processor instructions configured to, while the vehicle
operates on a causeway having at least two lanes: detect, among the
lanes of the causeway, a current lane that is occupied by the
vehicle; for respective lanes, identify a travel condition;
identify an advantageous lane of the causeway having a travel
condition presenting an advantage over the travel condition of the
current lane; and present to the driver a lane change suggestion to
transfer the vehicle to the advantageous lane.
2. The method of claim 1, the advantage selected from an advantage
set comprising: a lane compliance with a route of the vehicle; a
fuel economy promoting advantage; a cost economy promoting
advantage; a travel time consistency promoting advantage; an
emissions reducing advantage; a travel time reducing advantage; a
driving safety promoting advantage; a vehicle proximity reducing
advantage; a traffic congestion avoiding advantage; a construction
zone avoiding advantage; a causeway hazard avoiding advantage; and
a smooth driving experience promoting advantage.
3. The method of claim 1: the device comprising a lane identifier
map specifying, for respective locations, a lane associated with
the location; and detecting the current lane occupied by the
vehicle further comprising: receiving from a geolocator device a
current location of the vehicle; and determining the current lane
occupied by the vehicle according to the current location and the
lane identifier map.
4. The method of claim 1, detecting the current lane occupied by
the vehicle further comprising: evaluating an image of the causeway
to determine the current lane occupied by the vehicle.
5. The method of claim 1, detecting the current lane occupied by
the vehicle further comprising: receiving from a lane identifier
service a lane indication identifying, among the lanes of the
causeway, the current lane occupied by the vehicle.
6. The method of claim 1, identifying the travel conditions
comprising: identifying the travel conditions of the lanes of the
causeway within a distance threshold of a location of the
vehicle.
7. The method of claim 1: identifying the travel conditions of
respective lanes further comprising: receiving from a causeway
descriptor service: a current lane condition of the current lane,
and a second lane condition of the advantageous lane; and
determining the advantageous lane further comprising: determining
the advantageous lane by comparing the current lane condition and
the second lane condition.
8. The method of claim 1: identifying the travel conditions of
respective lanes further comprising: evaluating a first image of
the current lane to detect a current lane available vehicle
capacity; evaluating a second image of a second lane to detect a
second lane available vehicle capacity; and identifying the
advantageous lane further comprising: upon determining that the
second lane available vehicle capacity is higher than the current
lane available vehicle capacity, identifying the second lane as the
advantageous lane.
9. The method of claim 1: identifying the travel conditions of
respective lanes further comprising: detecting a first vehicle
speed of at least one vehicle in the current lane; detecting a
second vehicle speed of at least one vehicle in a second lane; and
identifying the advantageous lane further comprising: upon
determining that the second vehicle speed is higher than the first
vehicle speed, identifying the second lane as the advantageous
lane.
10. The method of claim 1, identifying the travel conditions of
respective lanes further comprising: evaluating an image of the
current lane to detect an obstruction affecting the current lane;
and evaluating an image of the advantageous lane to detect an
avoidance of the obstruction by the advantageous lane.
11. The method of claim 1: the advantageous lane having an
occupancy minimum; and identifying the advantageous lane further
comprising: determining a current occupancy of the vehicle; and
presenting the lane change suggestion to the driver further
comprising: presenting the lane change suggestion of the
advantageous lane to the driver only if the current occupancy of
the vehicle satisfies the occupancy minimum.
12. The method of claim 1: the instructions further configured to
determine a lane change suggestion window within which the vehicle
is safely transferable to the advantageous lane; and presenting the
lane change suggestion to the driver further comprising: presenting
the lane change suggestion of the advantageous lane to the driver
only within the suggestion window.
13. The method of claim 1: the causeway having at least one
intervening lane between the current lane and the advantageous
lane; and presenting the lane change suggestion to the driver only
while the vehicle is safely transferable across the at least one
intervening lane.
14. The method of claim 1: the advantageous lane comprising a
current lane that is currently occupied by the vehicle; and
presenting the lane change suggestion further comprising: upon
detecting an intent of the driver to transfer to a second lane of
the causeway, presenting to the driver a lane change suggestion to
maintain the current lane instead of transitioning to the second
lane.
15. The method of claim 1, presenting the suggestion further
comprising: presenting to the driver an explanation of the
advantage of the advantageous lane compared with the current
lane.
16. The method of claim 1: the driver operating the vehicle while
viewing the causeway through a window; and presenting the lane
change suggestion to the driver further comprising: displaying the
lane change suggestion on the window.
17. The method of claim 16, displaying the lane change suggestion
on the window further comprising: positioning the lane change
suggestion on the window to visually indicate the advantageous
lane.
18. A system for facilitating a driver of a vehicle, the system
involving a device having a processor and comprising: a lane
evaluating component comprising instructions that, when executed on
the processor, cause the device to, while the vehicle operates on a
causeway having at least two lanes: detect, among the lanes of the
causeway, a current lane that is occupied by the vehicle; for
respective lanes, identify a travel condition; identify an
advantageous lane of the causeway having a travel condition having
an advantage over the travel condition of the current lane; and a
lane change suggestion presenting component comprising instructions
that, when executed on the processor, cause the device to present
to the driver a lane change suggestion to transfer the vehicle to
the advantageous lane.
19. A method of facilitating drivers of vehicles operating on a
causeway having at least two lanes, the method involving a device
having a processor and comprising: executing on the processor
instructions configured to: for respective lanes, identify a travel
condition; among the lanes, identify at least one advantageous lane
of the causeway; and notify the vehicles of the at least one
advantageous lane of the causeway.
20. The method of claim 19, identifying the travel conditions of
respective lanes comprising: receiving from at least one vehicle
operating on the causeway at least one driving input involving at
least one lane of the causeway; and for respective lanes, identify
a travel condition based on the driving inputs for the lane.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/946,962, filed on
Mar. 3, 2014, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference as
if fully rewritten herein.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Within the field of computing, many scenarios involve a
vehicle traveling on a causeway featuring at least two lanes of
travel, such as an automobile traveling on a road with at least two
lanes, or a watercraft traveling in a waterway with at least two
lanes. In these scenarios, a device may provide a variety of
location-based information to assist with navigation, such as a
map, a depiction of an automatically or manually designated
navigation route, and areas of obstacles such as traffic
congestion. In particular, a navigation device may advise a driver
of the vehicle as to lane suggestions; e.g., a navigation device
may indicate to the driver that a route involves an exit from a
rightmost lane of the causeway, and may suggest that the driver
occupy the right rightmost lane in order to follow the route.
SUMMARY
[0003] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key factors or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
[0004] While the presentation of regional (including navigation)
information including suggestions for lane selection may be
advantageous, such advantages are often limited in both the
evaluation and the presentation of lane suggestions. As a first
example, while pre-programmed lane suggestions may be helpful
(e.g., a routing database may indicate that a route between two
points involves an exit from the rightmost lane), but additional
suggestions may be identified based on the evaluation of travel
conditions in each lane (e.g., current traffic congestion in each
lane, or the presence of an obstacle such as a collision in a
particular lane), and the comparison of the travel conditions of
the respective lanes of the causeway. As a second example, the
device that is configured to detect the lane currently occupied by
the vehicle may also indicate to the driver whether another lane is
more advantageous than the current lane (e.g., that the lane to the
left of the vehicle is less congested than the current lane). Such
detection and comparison may enable a selective presentation of
lane change suggestions (e.g., not suggesting a lane to the driver
if the current lane is optimal), and/or the presentation more
contextually relevant lane change suggestions (e.g., rather than
depicting or speaking "the second lane," which may be confusing in
a multi-lane causeway, a device may advise the driver to "move two
lanes to the left"), as well as refraining from presenting
unhelpful lane suggestions (e.g., advising the driver that a
particular lane is optimal when the driver is already occupying the
lane, thus disadvantageously distracting the attention of the
driver and possibly confusing the navigation).
[0005] In view of these and other advantages, the present
disclosure provides a variety of techniques for selecting and
presenting lane change suggestions. In an embodiment, a device may
facilitate a driver of a vehicle operating on a causeway having at
least two lanes by detecting, among the lanes of the causeway, a
current lane that is occupied by the vehicle; for respective lanes,
identifying a travel condition; identifying an advantageous lane of
the causeway having a travel condition presenting an advantage over
the travel condition of the current lane; and presenting to the
driver a suggestion to transfer the vehicle to the advantageous
lane. These and other variations of the techniques herein may
enable the presentation of lane change suggestions, in a manner
that is contextually related to the current lane of the user, in
accordance with the techniques presented herein.
[0006] To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the
following description and annexed drawings set forth certain
illustrative aspects and implementations. These are indicative of
but a few of the various ways in which one or more aspects may be
employed. Other aspects, advantages, and novel features of the
disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed
description when considered in conjunction with the annexed
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
driving suggestions.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring a
device facilitating a driver of a vehicle through the presentation
of lane change suggestions that are contextually related to the
current lane of the vehicle, in accordance with the techniques
presented herein.
[0009] FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example method of
facilitating a driver of a vehicle through the presentation of lane
change suggestions in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a component block diagram of an example system for
facilitating a driver of a vehicle through the presentation of lane
change suggestions in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0011] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
the facilitation of drivers of vehicles through the presentation of
lane change suggestions in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0012] FIG. 6 is an illustration of an example computer-readable
medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured to
embody one or more of the provisions set forth herein.
[0013] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring a
server configured to evaluate the travel conditions of respective
lanes of a causeway, and to advise a set of drivers on a causeway
of lane change suggestions, in accordance with the techniques
presented herein.
[0014] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
various techniques for configuring a device of a vehicle to detect
a current lane, and/or the travel conditions of various lanes of a
causeway, in accordance with the techniques presented herein.
[0015] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
additional techniques for configuring a device of a vehicle to
detect a current lane, and/or the travel conditions of various
lanes of a causeway, in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0016] FIG. 10 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
additional techniques for configuring a device of a vehicle to
detect a current lane, and/or the travel conditions of various
lanes of a causeway, in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0017] FIG. 11 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
a collection of lane information by a travel service, in accordance
with the techniques presented herein.
[0018] FIG. 12 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
the presentation of a lane change suggestion within a lane change
suggestion window, in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0019] FIG. 13 is an illustration of an example scenario featuring
a presentation of lane change suggestions on a window through which
the driver observes the operation of the vehicle, in accordance
with the techniques presented herein.
[0020] FIG. 14 illustrates an example computing environment wherein
one or more of the provisions set forth herein may be
implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The claimed subject matter is now described with reference
to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer
to like elements throughout. In the following description, for
purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in
order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject
matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter
may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form
in order to facilitate describing the claimed subject matter.
A. Introduction
[0022] In the field of vehicle computing, many types of devices and
services may be provided that facilitate the driver of a vehicle,
such as mapping, navigation, routing, and travel condition
advisories. The computations of the devices may result in various
types of suggestions that may facilitate the driver of the vehicle,
and the presentation of such suggestions to the driver (e.g., as
visual text, graphical icons, maps, photographic images,
three-dimensional renderings, audio cues, spoken text, and/or
haptic feedback) to signal the suggestions to the driver.
[0023] FIG. 1 presents an illustration of various scenarios in
which suggestions may be presented to facilitate a driver 108
operating a vehicle 106 operating on a causeway 102 having at least
two lanes 104. In a first example scenario 100, a detection of
traffic congestion 110 ahead on the causeway 102 due to a collision
114 between vehicles 106 may result in a notification 112 to the
driver of the upcoming traffic congestion 110, which may prompt the
driver 108 to slow down or to select an alternate route. In a
second example scenario 116, the driver 108 may request routing
from an origin location to a destination location, and a navigation
device or service may determine that a next direction along the
route involves taking an exit ramp 118 that is accessible from the
right lane 104 of the causeway 102. A notification 112 may
therefore be presented to the driver 108 of the vehicle 106 to exit
the causeway 102 from the right lane 104. In a third example
scenario 120, an emergency vehicle 122 may be approaching a set of
vehicles 106 on a causeway 102, and a device may present to a
driver 108 of a vehicle 106 within the vehicle set a notification
112 alerting the driver 108 of the approaching emergency vehicle
102, which may enable the driver 108 to make room for the passage
of the emergency vehicle 122.
B. Presented Techniques
[0024] While the notifications 112 presented in the example
scenarios presented in FIG. 1 may facilitate the driver 106 of the
vehicle 108, it may be appreciated that some disadvantages may
arise within these scenarios. In the first example scenario 100,
the notification 112 advises the driver 108 of approaching traffic
congestion 110, but does not inform the driver 108 that the traffic
congestion 110 is caused by a collision in a particular lane 104,
and that moving the vehicle 106 to the other lane 104 may
facilitate the driver 108 in quickly and safely avoiding the source
of the traffic congestion 110. In the second example scenario 116,
the notification 112 advises the driver 108 that the exit ramp 118
is accessible from the right lane 104, but such an instruction may
be misinterpreted as an instruction to change lanes 104, possibly
misdirecting the driver 108. Such confusion may particularly arise,
e.g., where the causeway 102 presents a large number of lanes 104
and the notification 112 attempts to describe a particular lane 104
(e.g., instructing the driver 108 to occupy the third of six lanes
104). Alternatively or additionally, the instruction may be moot
because the vehicle 106 already occupies the designated lane 104,
and presenting the notification 112 may unhelpfully confuse or
distract the driver 108. In the third example scenario 120, the
notification 112 informs the driver 180 of the approaching
emergency vehicle 122, but the driver 108 may not be able to see
the lane occupied by the emergency vehicle 122, and may
inadvertently block the passage of the emergency vehicle 122 (e.g.,
by inducing the driver 108 to change lanes 104 into the path of the
emergency vehicle 122). These and other scenarios illustrate the
limitations of some notifications 112 presented to the driver 108
that do not utilize the context of the driver 108 and/or the
vehicle 106.
[0025] Instead, in each of the example scenarios of FIG. 1, a
device that is configured to determine, among the lanes 104 of a
causeway 102, the current lane 104 of the vehicle 106 may further
choose the notifications 112 in the context of the current lane 104
of the vehicle 106. Using the context of the current lane 104 of
the vehicle 106 may enable the presentation not just of
notifications 112, but of lane change suggestions--i.e.,
suggestions that the driver 108 change the lane 104 of the vehicle
102 in order to achieve a particular type of advantage.
[0026] FIG. 2 presents illustrations of example scenarios where the
detection of a current lane 104 of a vehicle 106 may enable a
device 202 to facilitate a driver 108 in the operation of the
vehicle 106 in the context of the current lane 104. In particular,
rather than presenting notifications 112 outside of the context of
the vehicle 108, these techniques involve presenting lane change
suggestions 208 that encourage the user 108 to change the lane 104
of the vehicle 106 based on a perceived advantage 206 identified
through a comparison of travel conditions of respective lanes 104.
In a first example scenario 200, in addition to detecting imminent
traffic congestion 110 caused by a collision 114, the device 202
may perform a lane determination 204 that the vehicle 106 is in a
right lane 114, compare the travel condition of the current lane
104 with the travel condition of another lane, and may identify an
advantage 206 from switching from the current lane 104 to an
advantageous lane 104 (e.g., determining that switching to the left
lane may enable the vehicle 106 to avoid the traffic obstacle
caused by the collision 114). The device 202 may therefore present
a lane change suggestion 208 indicating that the driver 108 should
move to the left lane 104. In a second example scenario 210, two
vehicles 106 may respectively occupy a left lane 104 and a right
lane 104 of a causeway 102, and both may be approaching an exit
ramp 118 included in the directions for a route of each vehicle
106. If a device 202 is configured in the manner of the second
example scenario 116 of FIG. 1, a notification 112 might be
presented to each vehicle 106, but may be confusing if not
specified relative to the current lane 104 of the vehicle 106.
Rather, each device 202 may perform a lane determination 204 of the
current lane 104 of the vehicle 106. The first vehicle 106
occupying the left lane may determine that an advantage 206 exists
for changing to the right lane 104 (e.g., complying with the
routing directions), and may therefore present a lane change
suggestion 208 to change the lane 104 of the vehicle 106 to the
right lane. However, the device 202 of the second vehicle 106 may
determine that no advantage 206 exists for changing to the left
lane 104, and may therefore refrain from presenting a lane change
suggestion 208, e.g., thus reducing the distraction and possible
confusion of the driver 108 resulting form the presentation of a
moot notification 112. In a third example scenario 212, a device
202 detecting an approaching emergency vehicle 122, and may perform
a lane determination 204 of the current lane 104 for comparison
with the lane 104 of the emergency vehicle 122. Determining that
the vehicle 106 occupies the same lane 104 as the emergency vehicle
122, and that changing lanes 104 may lead to an advantage 206 by
avoiding the path of the emergency vehicle 122, the device 106 may
present a lane change suggestion 208 indicating that the driver 108
should change to the right lane 104 to enable passage of the
emergency vehicle 122. These and other scenarios may demonstrate
the value of presenting lane change suggestions 208 in order to
facilitate a user 108 in the operation of a vehicle 106 in
accordance with the techniques presented herein.
C. Technical Effects
[0027] The techniques presented herein may provide a variety of
technical effects in the scenarios provided herein.
[0028] As a first such example, the techniques provided herein may
enable a determination of the status of a causeway 102, such as
traffic conditions of various lanes of a road, based upon a
collection of information about the lanes 104 of the causeway 102
from respective vehicles 108 traveling on the causeway 102. That
is, while general traffic information about the causeway 102 may be
derived from more generalized metrics such as the reported speeds
of vehicles 108, such metrics may not provide a fully detailed
account of the conditions of the respective lanes 104 of the
causeway 102. For example, a discrepancy arising in a particular
lane 104 of the causeway 102 as compared with the other lanes 104
of the causeway 102 may indicate the presence of an obstruction,
such as traffic, a vehicular accident, or a pothole, which may
otherwise be difficult to differentiate from a generalized traffic
condition such as volume-induced congestion. Such indications may
enable a determination of whether to advise the driver to transfer
to a different lane 104, to maintain the present lane 104, or to
detour to a different causeway 102 altogether.
[0029] As a second such example, the techniques provided herein may
enable a more detailed evaluation of the conditions of the
causeway, and therefore may provide more accurate determination of
routing factors, such as an estimated travel duration and an
estimated time of arrival. For example, if traffic congestion is
detected along the route of the user, an estimated travel duration
reported to the user may be updated to reflect a projected delay.
The duration of the projected delay may be estimated based in part
on whether the traffic congestion is confined to one of the lanes
104 of the causeway 102 and may therefore be avoidable, or whether
the traffic congestion applies to all lanes 104 of the causeway
102. Additionally, the determination of the conditions of the lanes
104 of the causeway 102 may assist a navigation device with a
determination of whether or not to re-route the user 102 through a
different causeway 102 that may enable an avoidance of a travel
delay affecting the current causeway 102 of the user. Moreover,
such indications may enable a determination of the urgency of
presenting the suggestion. For example, construction arising six
miles ahead in the driver's lane of a road may prompt no
suggestion, or a more generalized suggestion, such as a change of
route; construction arising in the driver's lane on the road three
miles ahead may prompt a suggestion to change lanes sometime in the
next several minutes; and construction arising within the next mile
may prompt an urgent recommendation to change lanes 104.
[0030] As a third such example, the techniques provided herein may
enable more detailed notification of the lane change suggestion to
the user 102. Such information may be presented to the user 102 in
a timely manner (e.g., choosing an ideal moment to advise the user
102 to select a different lane 112), and/or may be based upon
current or typical conditions for the respective lanes 104 of the
causeway 102. For example, a user may be operating a vehicle 108 in
a left lane 104 of the causeway 102, and may be embarking upon a
route that involves a right turn from the right lane 104 two miles
ahead. Based on the evaluation of the conditions of the lanes 104
of the causeway 102, a navigation device may decide whether to
advise the user to switch to the right lane 104 as soon as possible
(e.g., because traffic is developing in the left lane 104), or to
remain in the left lane 104 until the turn is imminent (e.g.,
because traffic is developing in the right lane 104). In this
manner, the navigation device may advise the user in the navigation
of the vehicle 108 in a manner that is informed by the current
conditions of the lanes 104 of the causeway 102 in accordance with
the techniques presented herein.
D. Example Embodiments
[0031] FIG. 3 presents a first example embodiment of the techniques
presented herein, illustrated as an example method 300 of
facilitating a driver 108 in the operation of a vehicle 106 on a
causeway 102 having at least two lanes 104. The example method 300
may involve a device 202 having a processor, and may be
implemented, e.g., as a set of instructions stored in a memory
component of a device (e.g., a memory circuit, a platter of a hard
disk drive, a solid-state memory component, or a magnetic or
optical disc) that, when executed by the processor of the device,
cause the device 202 to perform the techniques presented herein.
The example method 300 begins at 302 and involves executing 304 the
instructions on the processor. Specifically, the instructions cause
the device 202 to detect 306, among the at least two lanes 104 of
the causeway 102, a current lane 104 that is occupied by the
vehicle 106. The instructions also cause the device 202 to, for
respective lanes 104, identify 308 a travel condition. The
instructions also cause the device 202 to identify 310 an
advantageous lane 104 of the causeway 102 having a travel condition
that presents an advantage 206 over the travel condition of the
current lane 104. The instructions also cause the device 202 to
present 312 to the driver 108 of the vehicle 106 a lane change
suggestion 208 to transfer the vehicle 106 to the advantageous lane
104. In this manner, the example method 300 of FIG. 3 achieves the
facilitation of the operation of the vehicle 106 by the driver 108
by presenting lane change suggestions 208 relative to the current
lane 104 of the vehicle 106, and so ends at 314.
[0032] FIG. 4 presents an illustration of an example scenario 400
featuring a second example embodiment of the techniques presented
herein, illustrated as an example system 408 for facilitating a
driver 108 in the operation of a vehicle 106. The example system
408 may be implemented, e.g., on a device 402 having a processor
404 and a memory 406. Respective components of the example system
408 may be implemented, e.g., as a set of instructions stored in
the memory 406 of the device 402 and executable on the processor
404 of the device 402, such that the interoperation of the
components causes the device 402 to operate according to the
techniques presented herein. The example system 408 comprises a
lane evaluating component 410, comprising instructions that, when
executed on the processor 404, cause the device 402 to, while the
vehicle 106 operates on a causeway 102 having at least two lanes
104, perform a lane detection 204 identifying, among the lanes 104
of the causeway 102, a current lane 414 that is occupied by the
vehicle 106. The instructions of the lane detecting component 410
further cause the device 402 to, for respective lanes 104, identify
a travel condition 416; and by performing a comparison 418 of the
travel conditions 416 of the respective lanes 104, identify an
advantageous lane 416 of the causeway 102 having a travel condition
418 presenting an advantage 206 over the travel condition 418 of
the current lane 414. The example system 408 also comprises a lane
change suggestion presenting component 412, comprising instructions
that, when executed on a processor 404 of the device 402, cause the
device 402 to present to the driver 108 a lane change suggestion
208 to transfer the vehicle 106 to the advantageous lane 416. The
interoperation of the components of the example system 408 of FIG.
4 thereby achieves the selection and presentation of the lane
change suggestion 208 and therefore facilitate the driver 108 in
the operation of the vehicle 106.
[0033] FIG. 5 presents a third example embodiment of the techniques
presented herein, illustrated as an example method 500 of
facilitating drivers 108 of vehicles 106 operating on a causeway
102 having at least two lanes 104. The example method 500 may
involve a device 202 having a processor, and may be implemented,
e.g., as a set of instructions stored in a memory component of a
device (e.g., a memory circuit, a platter of a hard disk drive, a
solid-state memory component, or a magnetic or optical disc) that,
when executed by the processor of the device, cause the device 202
to perform the techniques presented herein. The example method 500
begins at 502 and involves executing 504 the instructions on the
processor. Specifically, the instructions cause the device 202 to,
for respective lanes 104 of the causeway 102, identify 506 a travel
condition 418. The instructions also cause the device 202 to, among
the lanes 104 of the causeway 102, identify 508 at least one
advantageous lane 416 of the causeway 102 presenting an advantage
206 over the other lanes 104 of the causeway 102. The instructions
also cause the device 202 to notify 510 the vehicles 104 of the at
least one advantageous lane 416 of the causeway 102. In this
manner, the example method 500 of FIG. 5 achieves the facilitation
of the operation of the vehicles 106 operating on the causeway 102
by the drivers 108, and so ends at 512.
[0034] A fourth embodiment of the techniques presented herein
involves a computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable
instructions configured to apply the techniques presented herein.
Such computer-readable media may include, e.g., computer-readable
storage media involving a tangible device, such as a memory
semiconductor (e.g., a semiconductor utilizing static random access
memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or
synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) technologies), a
platter of a hard disk drive, a flash memory device, or a magnetic
or optical disc (such as a CD-R, DVD-R, or floppy disc), encoding a
set of computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a
processor of a device, cause the device to implement the techniques
presented herein. Such computer-readable media may also include (as
a class of technologies that are distinct from computer-readable
storage media) various types of communications media, such as a
signal that may be propagated through various physical phenomena
(e.g., an electromagnetic signal, a sound wave signal, or an
optical signal) and in various wired scenarios (e.g., via an
Ethernet or fiber optic cable) and/or wireless scenarios (e.g., a
wireless local area network (WLAN) such as WiFi, a personal area
network (PAN) such as Bluetooth, or a cellular or radio network),
and which encodes a set of computer-readable instructions that,
when executed by a processor of a device, cause the device to
implement the techniques presented herein.
[0035] An example computer-readable medium that may be devised in
these ways is illustrated in FIG. 6, wherein the implementation 600
comprises a computer-readable medium 602 (e.g., a CD-R, DVD-R, or a
platter of a hard disk drive), on which is encoded
computer-readable data 604. This computer-readable data 604 in turn
comprises a set of computer instructions 606 configured to operate
according to the principles set forth herein. In a first such
embodiment, the processor-executable instructions 606 may be
configured to, when executed by a processor 612 of a device 610,
cause the device 610 to facilitate a driver 108 in the operation of
a vehicle 106 through the presentation of lane change suggestions
208, such as the example method 300 of FIG. 3. In a second such
embodiment, the processor-executable instructions 606 may be
configured to implement a system for advising a driver 108 in the
operation of a vehicle 106 through the presentation of lane change
suggestions 208, such as the example system 408 of FIG. 4. In a
third such embodiment, the processor-executable instructions 606
may be configured to, when executed by a processor 612 of a device
610, cause the device 610 to facilitate drivers 108 in the
operation of vehicles 106 operating on a causeway 102 by advising
devices 202 on board the vehicles 106 of advantageous lanes 418 of
the causeway 102, such as the example method 500 of FIG. 5. Some
embodiments of this computer-readable medium may comprise a
nontransitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a hard disk
drive, an optical disc, or a flash memory device) that is
configured to store processor-executable instructions configured in
this manner. Many such computer-readable media may be devised by
those of ordinary skill in the art that are configured to operate
in accordance with the techniques presented herein.
E. Variable Aspects
[0036] The techniques discussed herein may be devised with
variations in many aspects, and some variations may present
additional advantages and/or reduce disadvantages with respect to
other variations of these and other techniques. Moreover, some
variations may be implemented in combination, and some combinations
may feature additional advantages and/or reduced disadvantages
through synergistic cooperation. The variations may be incorporated
in various embodiments (e.g., the example method 300 of FIG. 3; the
example system 408 of FIG. 4; the example method 500 of FIG. 5; and
the example computer-readable storage device 602 of FIG. 6) to
confer individual and/or synergistic advantages upon such
embodiments.
[0037] E1. Scenarios
[0038] A first aspect that may vary among embodiments of these
techniques relates to the scenarios wherein such techniques may be
utilized.
[0039] As a first variation of this first aspect, the techniques
presented herein may be used with many types of vehicles 106,
including automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, buses, watercraft,
aircraft, and spacecraft. Additionally, the techniques presented
herein may be used to evaluate many types of multi-lane causeways
102, including walking and biking paths, roads, highways, railways,
waterways, and airspaces. Such vehicles may be controlled by one or
more humans, may be autonomous, or may involve a combination
thereof, such as an autonomous automobile that can also be
controlled by a human.
[0040] As a second variation of this first aspect, the techniques
presented herein may be used to evaluate many types of advantages
206 in choosing an advantageous lane 416 over a current lane 414,
such as a lane compliance with a route of the vehicle 106 (e.g., a
lane 104 that the vehicle 106 is to occupy to fulfill a route); a
fuel economy promoting advantage; a cost economy promoting
advantage (e.g., toll avoidance); a travel time consistency
promoting advantage (e.g., a lane 104 providing a more consistent
and/or predictable travel time); an emissions reducing advantage; a
travel time reducing advantage; a driving safety promoting
advantage; a vehicle proximity reducing advantage (e.g., a less
crowded lane 104); a traffic congestion avoiding advantage; a
construction zone avoiding advantage; a causeway hazard avoiding
advantage; and a smooth driving experience promoting advantage
(e.g., a lane 104 that provides a more consistent and/or
comfortable driving route).
[0041] As a third variation of this first aspect, the techniques
presented herein may be implemented in a variety of architectures.
As a first example, the techniques presented herein may be
implemented in a device 202 aboard a vehicle 106; by a first device
202 aboard a first vehicle 106 in communication with a second
device 202 aboard a second vehicle 106 (e.g., interoperating
devices 202 that enable a collective determination of the
advantageous lane 208 of the causeway 102); by a first device 202
aboard a vehicle 106 in communication with a second device 202 that
is transiently or permanently stationary on or near the causeway
102; and/or by a first device 202 aboard a vehicle 106 in
communication with a remote device 202 that is accessible over a
wireless communication protocol, such as a radio, cellular, or WiFi
communications network. As one such example, the comparison 420 and
determination of an advantageous lane 416 of the causeway 102 may
be determined by a device 202 on behalf of a vehicle 106 storing
the device 202; by a device 202 aboard a first vehicle 106 on
behalf of a second vehicle 106; and/or by a remote device 202, such
as a server providing a lane change suggestions service.
[0042] FIG. 7 presents an illustration of an example scenario 700
featuring an example architecture for implementing the techniques
presented herein among a set of devices. In this example scenario
700, respective vehicles 106 comprise a device 202 that presents
lane change suggestions 208 to the driver 108 of the vehicle 106 in
accordance with the techniques presented herein. The information
from one or more devices 202, optionally including the current lane
414 of each vehicle 106, is provided to a server 702 that is
configured to perform an advantageous lane evaluation 702 (e.g.,
the example method 500 of FIG. 5) to evaluate the travel conditions
418 of the lanes 104 and to identify an advantageous lane 208
(e.g., determining that the right lane 104 of the causeway 102
advantageously avoids vehicles 106 involved in a collision 114 in
the left lane 104). The server 702 transmits 708 (e.g., through
multicast or broadcast) the advantageous lane 208 over a
communications network 706 (e.g., a radio network, a cellular
network, and/or a computer network such as the Internet) to the
devices 202 on board the vehicles 106, which in turn present a lane
change suggestion of the advantageous lane 208 to the drivers 108
of the vehicles 106. These and other variations may be included in
various embodiments of the techniques presented herein.
[0043] E2. Current Lane Detection
[0044] A second aspect that may vary among embodiments of these
techniques relates to the manner of detecting the current lane 414
of the vehicle 106. Many such techniques may be utilized for
current lane detection, and some devices 202 may combine multiple
techniques for added accuracy and/or verification.
[0045] FIG. 8 presents an illustration of an example scenario 800
featuring a causeway 102 with three lanes 104, wherein a vehicle
106 traveling in each lane 104 detects the current lane 414 using a
different technique. As a first variation of this second aspect, a
device 202 aboard a first vehicle 802 may comprise a lane
identifier map 806 specifying, for respective locations 808, a lane
104 of the causeway 102 that is associated with the location 808.
The device 202 may therefore detect the current lane 414 occupied
by the first vehicle 802 by receiving from a geolocator device 804
(e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) a current
location 808 of the first vehicle 802, and determining the current
lane 414 occupied by the first vehicle 802 according to the current
location 808 and the lane identifier map 806.
[0046] As further illustrated in the example scenario 800 of FIG.
8, and as a second variation of this second aspect, a second
vehicle 810 may comprise a camera 812 configured to capture an
image 814 of the causeway 102, and may detect the current lane 414
occupied by the second vehicle 810 by evaluating the image 814 of
the causeway 102. For example, visual indicators, such as lane
lines and reflectors, may be automatically detected to determine
the course of the causeway 102, the number of lanes 104 in the
causeway 102, and the position of the vehicle 106 related
thereto.
[0047] As further illustrated in the example scenario 800 of FIG.
8, and as a third variation of this second aspect, a third vehicle
816 may comprise a detector 818 that receives lane indications from
a lane indicator service, where the lane indication 820 identifies
the current lane 414 occupied by the third vehicle 816. As a first
such example, respective lanes 104 may comprise a near-field
transmitter device (e.g., a radiofrequency identifier (RFID) tag)
broadcasting an identification of the current lane 414 that is
receivable by a near-field detector. As a second such example, a
device in visual contact with the causeway 102 may determine the
locations of respective vehicles 106 traveling thereupon, and may
transmit to each vehicle 106 an identification of the current lane
414 of the vehicle 106.
[0048] FIG. 9 presents an illustration of an example scenario 700
featuring a fourth variation of this second aspect, wherein the
lane 104 of the causeway 102 occupied by a vehicle 106 of the
driver 108 is detected according to a proximity sensor 902 of the
vehicle 106 that includes a variety of techniques, such as visual
evaluation of camera data; ranging data gathered by sonar, radar,
and/or lidar detection; and/or electronic communication with other
vehicles 106 operating on the causeway 104. In this example
scenario 900, the vehicle 106 is equipped with a proximity sensor
902 that detects a proximity of the vehicle 106 with respect to
other vehicles 106 operating on the causeway 102, such as a
distance 904 between the vehicle 106 and another vehicle 106 that
is ahead of and/or behind the vehicle 106 of the driver 108; the
relative speeds of the vehicles 106 ahead of and/or behind the
driver 108; and/or the rates of acceleration, braking, turning,
and/or swerving by the driver 108 and the drivers 108 of the other
vehicles 106. The proximity sensor 902 may also detect information
about vehicles 106 in other lanes 104 of the causeway 102, such as
the relative or absolute speeds of vehicles 106 in adjacent lanes
104, and/or whether or not such vehicles 106 are passing 906 and/or
are being passed by the vehicle 106 of the driver 108. The device
202 may transmit 908 the information detected by the proximity
sensor 902 to a travel service 912, e.g., as a lane condition
report 910 indicating the conditions of the respective lanes 104 of
the causeway 102, optionally including information about other
(e.g., adjacent) lanes 104 of the causeway 102 and/or vehicles 106
utilizing such lanes 104, and/or information about the driver 108
and/or the other vehicles 106 traveling along the causeway 102,
such as the travel duration between a first location and a second
location of the causeway.
[0049] FIG. 10 presents an illustration of example scenarios 1000
featuring a fifth set of variations of this second aspect, wherein
the lanes 104 and/or lane conditions of the respective lanes 104 of
the causeway 102 are determined by a machine vision technique 1008.
As a first example scenario 1002, a device 202 on board the vehicle
106 may include and/or be in communication with a forward-mounted
camera 1002 that captures a forward-facing image 1004 (e.g.,
through a windshield 1006 of the vehicle 106). A machine vision
technique 1008 may be applied to the image 1004, such as a line
detection algorithm that is configured to detect visible lines
indicating the respective lanes 104 of the causeway 102. The
position of the vehicle 106 on the causeway 102 may also be
extrapolated by the machine vision technique 1008, and may
therefore be utilized to determine the selected lane that is
currently occupied by the vehicle 106. Alternatively or
additionally, other machine vision techniques may be applied to the
image 1004 to detect the lane conditions of the lanes 104 of the
causeway 102, such as object recognition to detect and optionally
count a number of visible vehicles 106 ahead of the vehicle 106 of
the drive 108 in the respective lanes 104, and/or visual sizing
machine vision techniques that estimate a distance of vehicles 106
ahead of the vehicle 106 of the driver 108. As a second example
scenario 1010, a downward-facing camera 1002 may capture a
downward-facing image 1004 of the causeway 102, and a line
detection machine vision technique 1008 may be utilized to detect
the visible lines indicating the lanes 104 of the causeway 102,
and/or the selected lane that is currently occupied by the vehicle
106 of the driver 108. These and other techniques may be used to
determine the current lane 104 of the vehicle 106 in accordance
with the techniques presented herein.
[0050] E3. Travel Condition Communication
[0051] A third aspect that may vary among embodiments of these
techniques involves the manner of transmitting travel conditions
418 of the lanes 104 of the causeway 102 to a travel service for
evaluation, which may enable the travel service to notify the
devices 202 on board various vehicles 104 of developments in the
travel conditions 418 of the causeway 102.
[0052] FIG. 11 presents an illustration of an example scenario 1100
featuring a collection of travel reports about the lanes 104 of a
causeway 102. In this example scenario 1100, a set of vehicles 106
is operated by a set of drivers 108 on a causeway 102, and
information about the lanes 104 of the causeway 102 may be
collected by a travel service 912 as a set of travel reports,
including such information as the vehicles 106 in each lane 104;
the travel duration of each vehicle 106 in each lane 104; and other
information, such as lane costs during the observed period. Such
travel reports may be collected from devices 202 on board the
vehicles 106; from the drivers 108 of such vehicles 106; from toll
booths 1102, traffic cameras 1104, or other forms of path
monitoring; and/or from aerial surveillance, such as from a drone
1106. The travel reports may be transmitted to the travel service
912 in a variety of ways, including the internet 1108 and radio
transmissions 1110, and may be stored by the travel service 912 to
facilitate the evaluation of information about the respective lanes
104 of the causeway, including incidents that may enable a
suggestion to a driver 108 operating a vehicle 106 on the causeway
102 to transition to a more advantageous lane. Many techniques may
be utilized to detect and collect information about the lanes 104
of the causeway 102 in accordance with the techniques presented
herein.
[0053] E4. Travel Condition Evaluation and Advantageous Lane
Selection
[0054] A fourth aspect that may vary among embodiments of these
techniques involves the evaluation of travel conditions 418 of the
lanes 104 of the causeway 102, and the selection of an advantageous
lane 208 among the lanes 104 of the causeway 102.
[0055] As a first variation of this fourth aspect, many types of
travel conditions 418 may be evaluated to arrive at the
determination of the advantageous lane 416, including past,
current, and/or predicted traffic congestion 110; causeway surface
evaluation; past, current, and/or predicted weather conditions; the
preferences of the driver 108; and/or details of the vehicle 106
(e.g., cargo weight).
[0056] As a second variation of this fourth aspect, many techniques
may be utilized to detect the travel conditions 418 of respective
lanes 104 of the causeway 102. As a first such example, the travel
conditions of the lanes 104 of the causeway 102 may be evaluated
within a distance threshold of a location of the vehicle 106 (e.g.,
for one mile of the causeway 102 ahead of the vehicle 106, and/or
for one mile of a current route of the vehicle 106).
[0057] As a third variation of this fourth aspect, a device 202
aboard a vehicle 106 may receive, from a causeway descriptor
service, a current lane condition of the current lane 414, and a
second lane condition of the advantageous lane 416 (e.g., an
accumulation of water and/or ice in each lane 104 of a road), and
may determine the advantageous lane 416 by comparing the current
lane condition and the second lane condition.
[0058] As a fourth variation of this fourth aspect, a device 202
aboard a vehicle 106 may evaluate a first image of the current lane
414 to detect a current lane available vehicle capacity of the
current lane 414 (e.g., counting the number of vehicles 106
occupying the current lane 414 ahead of the vehicle 106); evaluate
a second image of a second lane 104 to detect a second lane
available vehicle capacity of the second lane 104; and, upon
determining that the second lane available vehicle capacity is
higher than the current lane available vehicle capacity (e.g., that
the second lane 104 has fewer vehicles 106 than the current lane
414), identify the second lane as the advantageous lane 416.
[0059] As a fifth variation of this fourth aspect, a device 202
aboard a vehicle 106 may detect a first vehicle speed of at least
one vehicle 106 in the current lane 414; detect a second vehicle
speed of at least one vehicle 106 in a second lane 104; and, upon
determining that the second vehicle speed is higher than the
current lane vehicle speed, identifying the second lane 104 as the
advantageous lane 416.
[0060] As a sixth variation of this fourth aspect, a device 202
having a camera 812 may evaluate an image 814 of the current lane
414 to detect an obstruction affecting the current lane 414, and
evaluate an image of the advantageous lane 416 to detect an
avoidance of the obstruction by the advantageous lane 416 (e.g.,
using machine vision techniques to detect an obstruction of the
causeway 102, as well as a lane 104 providing a path around the
obstruction).
[0061] As a seventh variation of this fourth aspect, a server 702
may determine the travel conditions 418 through the evaluation of
information aggregated from a variety of vehicles 106. For example,
the server 702 may receive, from at least one vehicle 106 operating
on the causeway 102, at least one driving input involving at least
one lane 104 of the causeway 102 (e.g., detecting that drivers 108
in a particular lane 104 are frequently braking or swerving), and
may identify the travel condition 418 of the respective lanes 104
based on the driving inputs for the vehicles 106 operating in the
lane 104.
[0062] As an eighth variation of this fourth aspect, the comparison
420 may be performed in view of many aspects of the travel
conditions 418. As a first such example, respective travel
conditions 418 may be associated with a weight indicating its
significance in the comparison 420 (e.g., an improvement in driving
safety may be considered more advantageous than a reduction in
travel time duration). As a second such example, the preferences of
respective drivers 108 may be considered in the comparison 420,
such as the comparative significance and value of fuel economy and
travel time to the driver 108, in identifying an advantageous lane
416 among the lanes 104 of the causeway 102.
[0063] As a ninth variation of this fourth aspect, a device 202
aboard a vehicle 106 may also notify the driver 108 of the
advantage 206 conferred by the advantageous lane 416 as part of the
lane change suggestion 208, and/or may provide alternative lane
change suggestions 208 respectively presenting an advantage 206
(e.g., a first advantageous lane 416 providing a fuel economy
advantage 206, and a second advantageous lane 416 providing a
travel time reducing advantage 206).
[0064] As a tenth variation of this fourth aspect, some lanes 104
of a causeway 102 may only be utilized under certain conditions. As
a first such example, respective lanes 104 may have an occupancy
minimum (e.g., a high occupancy vehicle ("HOV") lane that may only
be utilized legally by vehicles 104 having at least a minimum
number of passengers). A device 202 may determine a current
occupancy of the vehicle 106 (e.g., by detecting and evaluating
symbols painted on the lanes 104 of the causeway 102, and/or signs
positioned near the causeway 102), and may select a lane 104 as an
advantageous lane 416 only if the current occupancy of the vehicle
satisfies the occupancy minimum of the lane 104. As a second such
example, a toll lane may be usable only in exchange for paying a
toll (e.g., signing up to an automated toll-paying service), and a
device 202 may select the lane 104 as an advantageous lane 416 only
if the toll may be paid by the vehicle 106 and/or the driver 108.
These and other techniques may be utilized to evaluate the travel
conditions 418 of the lanes 104 of the causeway 102 and to select
the advantageous lane 416 in accordance with the techniques
presented herein.
[0065] E4. Presenting Lane Change Suggestions
[0066] A fifth aspect that may vary among embodiments of the
techniques presented herein relates to the manner of presenting
lane change suggestions 208 to a driver 108 of a vehicle 106.
[0067] As a first variation of this fifth aspect, the lane change
suggestion 208 may be presented to the driver 108 through various
communications modalities, such as a visual text message; a visual
symbol presented on a display; a map or photographic image; an
audio cue, such as a spoken message; or through haptic
feedback.
[0068] FIG. 12 presents an illustration of an example scenario 1200
featuring a second variation of this fifth aspect, wherein a device
202 aboard a vehicle 106 may determine a suggestion window within
which the vehicle 106 is safely transferable to the advantageous
lane 416, and present the lane change suggestion 208 of the
advantageous lane 416 to the driver 108 only within the suggestion
window. For example, the advantageous lane 416 may comprise a right
lane 104 of a causeway 102 having the advantage 206 of easier
access to an exit ramp 118. It may be desirable to present the lane
change suggestion 208 in advance of an exit location 1202 where the
driver 108 follows the exit lane 118. However, at a current
location 1204, between the current lane 414 and the advantageous
lane 416, a set of pylons 1206 may exist that impose a barrier
between the lanes 104, and presenting the lane change suggestion
208 to the driver 108 at the current location 1204 may jeopardize
the safety of the vehicle 106 and the driver 108. Instead, the
device 202 aboard the vehicle 108 may select a lane change
suggestion location 1208 that is past the set of pylons 1206, and
may present the lane change suggestion 208 upon detecting the
vehicle 106 arriving at the lane change suggestion location 1208.
As a related variation, where the causeway 102 has at least one
intervening lane 104 that is between the current lane 414 and the
advantageous lane 416, the lane change suggestion 208 may be
presented to the driver 108 only while the vehicle 106 is safely
transferable across the at least one intervening lane (e.g., while
no other vehicles 106 are present in the intervening lane).
[0069] As a third variation of this fifth aspect, in some
scenarios, the advantageous lane 416 may comprise the current lane
414 that is currently occupied by the vehicle 106, and the lane
change suggestion 208. As a first such example, in such
circumstances, the device 202 may refrain from presenting the lane
change suggestion 208 (e.g., not presenting any notification to the
driver 108 when the current lane 414 is the advantageous lane 416).
As a second such example, in such circumstances, upon detecting an
intent of the driver 108 to transfer to a second lane 104 of the
causeway 102, a device 202 may present to the driver 108 a lane
change suggestion 208 comprising a suggestion to maintain the
current lane 414 instead of transitioning to the second lane.
[0070] As a fourth variation of this fifth aspect, a device 202 may
identify the advantageous lane 416 in various ways. As a first such
example, the device 202 may describe the advantageous lane 416
relative to the current lane 414 (e.g., "move one lane to the
right"), or relative to the causeway 102 (e.g., "move to the
rightmost lane"). As a second such example, a device 202 may
present to the driver 108 an explanation of the advantage 206 of
the advantageous lane 416 compared with the current lane 414 (e.g.,
"move one lane to the right to avoid an accident in this
lane").
[0071] FIG. 13 presents an illustration of an example scenario 1300
featuring a third such example of this fourth variation of this
fifth aspect, wherein the driver 108 operates the 106 while viewing
the causeway 102 through a window 1302, such as a front windshield
of the vehicle 106, or eyewear, such as goggles or glasses, upon
which visual cues may be depicted for the driver 108. In such
scenarios, a device 202 (such as a controller operating a pair of
eyewear, or a display component embedded in a windshield of the
vehicle 106) may display the lane change 208 on the window 1302.
Moreover, in some embodiments, a device 202 may position the lane
change suggestion 208 on the window 1302 to visually indicate the
advantageous lane 416 (e.g., overlaying a visual marker 1304 or
shading indicating the advantageous lane 416, and/or a pointer 1306
indicating the advantageous lane 416). These and other variations
in the presentation of the lane change suggestions 208 may be
included in variations of the techniques presented herein.
F. Computing Environment
[0072] FIG. 14 and the following discussion provide a brief,
general description of a suitable computing environment to
implement embodiments of one or more of the provisions set forth
herein. The operating environment of FIG. 14 is only one example of
a suitable operating environment and is not intended to suggest any
limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the operating
environment. Example computing devices include, but are not limited
to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop
devices, mobile devices (such as mobile phones, Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), media players, and the like), multiprocessor
systems, consumer electronics, mini computers, mainframe computers,
distributed computing environments that include any of the above
systems or devices, and the like.
[0073] Although not required, embodiments are described in the
general context of "computer readable instructions" being executed
by one or more computing devices. Computer readable instructions
may be distributed via computer readable media (discussed below).
Computer readable instructions may be implemented as program
modules, such as functions, objects, Application Programming
Interfaces (APIs), data structures, and the like, that perform
particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
Typically, the functionality of the computer readable instructions
may be combined or distributed as desired in various
environments.
[0074] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a system 1400 comprising a
computing device 1402 configured to implement one or more
embodiments provided herein. In one configuration, computing device
1402 includes at least one processing unit 1406 and memory 1408.
Depending on the exact configuration and type of computing device,
memory 1408 may be volatile (such as RAM, for example),
non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc., for example) or some
combination of the two. This configuration is illustrated in FIG.
14 by dashed line 1404.
[0075] In other embodiments, device 1402 may include additional
features and/or functionality. For example, device 1402 may also
include additional storage (e.g., removable and/or non-removable)
including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical storage,
and the like. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 14 by
storage 1410. In one embodiment, computer readable instructions to
implement one or more embodiments provided herein may be in storage
1410. Storage 1410 may also store other computer readable
instructions to implement an operating system, an application
program, and the like. Computer readable instructions may be loaded
in memory 1408 for execution by processing unit 1406, for
example.
[0076] The term "computer readable media" as used herein includes
computer storage media. Computer storage media includes volatile
and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in
any method or technology for storage of information such as
computer readable instructions or other data. Memory 1408 and
storage 1410 are examples of computer storage media. Computer
storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM,
flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile
Disks (DVDs) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic
tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or
any other medium which can be used to store the desired information
and which can be accessed by device 1402. Any such computer storage
media may be part of device 1402.
[0077] Device 1402 may also include communication connection(s)
1416 that allows device 1402 to communicate with other devices.
Communication connection(s) 1416 may include, but is not limited
to, a modem, a Network Interface Card (NIC), an integrated network
interface, a radio frequency transmitter/receiver, an infrared
port, a USB connection, or other interfaces for connecting
computing device 1402 to other computing devices. Communication
connection(s) 1416 may include a wired connection or a wireless
connection. Communication connection(s) 1416 may transmit and/or
receive communication media.
[0078] The term "computer readable media" may include communication
media. Communication media typically embodies computer readable
instructions or other data in a "modulated data signal" such as a
carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any
information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" may
include a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or
changed in such a manner as to encode information in the
signal.
[0079] Device 1402 may include input device(s) 1414 such as
keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,
infrared cameras, video input devices, and/or any other input
device. Output device(s) 1412 such as one or more displays,
speakers, printers, and/or any other output device may also be
included in device 1402. Input device(s) 1414 and output device(s)
1412 may be connected to device 1402 via a wired connection,
wireless connection, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment,
an input device or an output device from another computing device
may be used as input device(s) 1414 or output device(s) 1412 for
computing device 1402.
[0080] Components of computing device 1402 may be connected by
various interconnects, such as a bus. Such interconnects may
include a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), such as PCI
Express, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), firewire (IEEE 1394), an
optical bus structure, and the like. In another embodiment,
components of computing device 1402 may be interconnected by a
network. For example, memory 1408 may be comprised of multiple
physical memory units located in different physical locations
interconnected by a network.
[0081] Those skilled in the art will realize that storage devices
utilized to store computer readable instructions may be distributed
across a network. For example, a computing device 1420 accessible
via network 1418 may store computer readable instructions to
implement one or more embodiments provided herein. Computing device
1402 may access computing device 1420 and download a part or all of
the computer readable instructions for execution. Alternatively,
computing device 1402 may download pieces of the computer readable
instructions, as needed, or some instructions may be executed at
computing device 1402 and some at computing device 1420.
G. Usage of Terms
[0082] Although the subject matter has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended
claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
[0083] As used in this application, the terms "component,"
"module," "system", "interface", and the like are generally
intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a
combination of hardware and software, software, or software in
execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to
being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an
executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By
way of illustration, both an application running on a controller
and the controller can be a component. One or more components may
reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component
may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or
more computers.
[0084] Furthermore, the claimed subject matter may be implemented
as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard
programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a
computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term
"article of manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a
computer program accessible from any computer-readable device,
carrier, or media. Of course, those skilled in the art will
recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration
without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject
matter.
[0085] Various operations of embodiments are provided herein. In
one embodiment, one or more of the operations described may
constitute computer readable instructions stored on one or more
computer readable media, which if executed by a computing device,
will cause the computing device to perform the operations
described. The order in which some or all of the operations are
described should not be construed as to imply that these operations
are necessarily order dependent. Alternative ordering will be
appreciated by one skilled in the art having the benefit of this
description. Further, it will be understood that not all operations
are necessarily present in each embodiment provided herein.
[0086] Moreover, the word "example" is used herein to mean serving
as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design
described herein as "example" is not necessarily to be construed as
advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word
example is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As
used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an
inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless
specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is
intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That
is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X
employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances.
In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application
and the appended claims may generally be construed to mean "one or
more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be
directed to a singular form.
[0087] Also, although the disclosure has been shown and described
with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations
and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art based
upon a reading and understanding of this specification and the
annexed drawings. The disclosure includes all such modifications
and alterations and is limited only by the scope of the following
claims. In particular regard to the various functions performed by
the above described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.),
the terms used to describe such components are intended to
correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which
performs the specified function of the described component (e.g.,
that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally
equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function
in the herein illustrated example implementations of the
disclosure. In addition, while a particular feature of the
disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of
several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or
more other features of the other implementations as may be desired
and advantageous for any given or particular application.
Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes", "having",
"has", "with", or variants thereof are used in either the detailed
description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive
in a manner similar to the term "comprising."
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