GB2570775A

GB2570775A - Method and system for monitoring transport related activity

Info

Publication number: GB2570775A
Application number: GB1820127.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patrick Kerry Barrett-Hayes Mark
Original assignee: Krys Sarl
Current assignee: Krys Sarl
Priority date: 2018-01-10
Filing date: 2018-12-11
Publication date: 2019-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2038-12-11
Also published as: GB2570775B; GB201820127D0; LU100674B1

Abstract

The application concerns monitoring or regulating transport related activities, e.g. facilitating traffic flow in an emergency or influencing the behaviour of human or autonomous vehicles. An event is created in a server 200 and includes a geographical area, time frame and associated parameters e.g. a reward, a fee or a restriction to enter or remain in the geographical area. The event is associated with and sent to a recipient, e.g. an individual 530, 545, 555, a mobile phone 535, a communications server 134, 164, a bicycle 505, 540, a car 550, a bus 585, an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone 520, or a watercraft 515. The recipient’s transport activity in the geographical area is monitored only during the time frame. An operation is performed based on the event’s associated parameters and the recipient’s monitored activity. For example, a driver may be billed or fined for entering a polluted area with a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, whereas cyclists may be paid an incentive. Alternatively, a track and trace database may be updated following successful delivery of a product. Another embodiment restricts vehicles from entering a zone around an emergency, e.g. a terrorist attack or security alert.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a system for monitoring and/or regulating transport related activity, in the context of, but not limited to, shipping, traffic control, pollution control, multi-modal transportation either/and human, semi-automated and automated.

Prior art [0002] The document US 9,786,187 B1 discloses a system with unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for handling goods. This document focuses on the determination of travel paths for drones of various sizes, travel ranges, travel speeds, etc. This document does not take into account the amount of nuisance that such a network of drones generates, or the local regulations that must be respected when travelling over inhabited areas.

[0003] The document KR 2012 013 93 12 A (KR 101 332 392 B1) discloses a system for rewarding an individual based on his/her use of non-polluting transportation means. The GPS sensor of the mobile phone of the individual is employed to assess the speed of motion of the individual. Based on his/her speed, the individual is rewarded, for instance, when he/she is walking or cycling. Therefore, this system encourages the use of green transportation means. However, by measuring the speed of motion, this system is unreliable, since a car driving in a traffic jam may be slower than a pedestrian.

[0004] In order to limit the amount of pollution resulting from vehicles driving in city centres, some cities have implemented a toll system for billing the drivers entering a geographical area around the city. In essence, the toll barriers or gantry are positioned at a fixed location. This system is therefore not flexible, since the limits of the area in which billing occurs are unchangeable.

[0005] Some companies have implemented a reward or a subsidy for their employees who cycle or take public transportation rather than their personal car for commuting. The reward is generally based on selfdeclaration by the individual with no real means of verification.

[0006] Hence, none of the known systems allows effective automatic measurements of multi-modal transport such as an individual cycling and then taking the train.

Summary of the invention

Technical problem [0007] In this context, the present invention provides a system and a method for monitoring and/or regulating transport related activities in a more reliable and more flexible way.

Solution [0008] The present invention relates to a method in accordance with claim 1.

[0009] The steps of the method are preferably carried out successively in that order.

[0010] The wording “regulating” is to be understood in its broad meaning. Indeed, the method of the invention can be used in various contexts, namely, a situation with heavy traffic or an emergency, where “regulating” would mean “facilitating” the flow of traffic. “Regulating” can also be used in the sense of influencing the behaviour of human, semi-autonomous and/or autonomous vehicle activity.

[0011] An event can comprise of at least one geographical area, at least one timeframe, and associated parameters.

[0012] The sending of the event information data can be carried out by means of communication, such as through wireless or mobile phone networks. The monitoring of the activity can be carried out by appropriate means of detection.

[0013] According to the invention, the recipient is associated with the event. In other words, when a particular event is created, one of the associated parameters allows the identification of the at least one recipient who must be informed of the event. Since the method can be used for several situations, it is important that not all actors of the system are notified for every single event, but only those who may be concerned by each event.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, after or while sending the information data, a request to acknowledge receipt is sent to the recipient and the operation is only performed for recipients having actually acknowledged receipt.

[0015] It may indeed be important, for instance when the operation to be performed concerns the billing of a fee or fine to the recipient, to ensure that the recipient has effectively been notified of the event prior to the happening of the event.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the instantiation of the event is triggered by at least one auxiliary server when a predetermined criterion is present.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary server is an environmental factors information server monitoring the pollution over a geographical region and determining whether a geographical area of this region is or will be subject to a pollution level higher than a predetermined threshold.

[0018] A predictive algorithm can be used to establish whether the pollution level will reach the threshold in the near future.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary server is a traffic information server monitoring the traffic over a geographical region and determining whether a geographical area of this region is or will be subject to a traffic level higher than a predetermined threshold.

[0020] A predictive algorithm can be used to establish whether the traffic level will reach the threshold in the near future.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the event is set manually by an operator. The operator can be a sponsor of the event, a governmental authority, a safety or emergency agent. The operator creating an event can also be a recipient of this event.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, the step of monitoring the activity of the recipient comprises at least one of: monitoring the means of transportation used by an individual, monitoring the entry in and/or exit of the geographical area by an individual, monitoring the duration/time spent by an individual within the geographical area.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the monitoring of the means of transportation comprises a step of receiving trip data from a mobile computer device, a vehicle hub server, a vehicle communication server, and/or a public transport communication server.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, the recipient is an individual, a mobile computing device or a vehicle communication server.

[0025] By communicating with a vehicle communication server, the central server can directly influence the path taken by an autonomous land, sea or aerial vehicle.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment, the parameters associated with an event are one or more of: a reward, a fee, a restriction to enter or remain inside of the geographical area. For example, the area may be authorized for a limited time, and then may be restricted for a specified time after the recipient has left the area.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment, the performed operation consists in the payment of the reward, or the raising of a fee or a fine.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment, the performed operation consists in the registration in a memory of, or the update of a database with, the activity of the recipient.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment, the event is dynamically updated: on the basis of the monitored activity and/or on the basis of information data sent by a recipient and/or by the operator and/or by an auxiliary server. This way, the event is updated in real-time. The update can concern the limits of the area, the time frame, the associated parameters, the associated recipient(s), or even the existence of the event.

[0030] The invention is also related to a system for the monitoring and/or regulation of transport related activities in accordance with claim 14.

[0031] The detecting means can communicate directly or indirectly with the central server. They can be part of a vehicle or a mobile computing device, or can be part of urban equipment (antenna, cell site, etc.). The processing means may be part of the central server or remote from it.

[0032] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises at least one auxiliary server which triggers the instantiation of an event upon occurrence of predetermined criteria; and a means of communication between the central server and the auxiliary server.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a mobile computing device or a vehicle communication server, and a means of communication between the central server and the mobile computing device or vehicle communication server, wherein the mobile computing device or vehicle communication server is programmed to acknowledge receipt, on request from the central server, upon reception of the event information data.

[0034] Thus, the recipients of a particular event can be notified through their mobile phone, through their vehicle communication server or through any other means of communication.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a payment services server to operate the performed operation. Indeed, when the operation to be performed is related to a payment service, a payment server can be provided to operate the payment service remotely from the management of the events.

[0036] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises a memory with a database and the performed operation consists in the registration in the memory of, or the update of a database with, the activity of the recipient. Thus, the activity of the recipient can be recorded for a future usage and does not immediately involve any other action.

[0037] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises communication means to receive information data sent by a recipient. This allows the feedback of the recipient to update the event, to create a new event, or to simply acknowledge reception of the event information data.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, the system further comprises at least one of: a land vehicle, preferably at least partially autonomously driven; an unmanned aerial vehicle; a watercraft; a plurality of said vehicles connected to a vehicle hub server; and/or a plurality of said vehicles as public transportation means, connected to a public transport communication server.

Benefits of the invention [0039] While the system of KR 2012 013 93 12 A only deals with the tracking of the user, the present invention enables a two-directional communication and sends a notification to the user prior to the happening of an event. Moreover, the creation of an event allows a dynamic and flexible way of dealing with traffic or pollution issues. The invention is also more flexible since the areas and time frames can be both setup and updated dynamically.

Definitions [0040] An event is an occurrence of a phenomenon which is materialized by a set of data in a central server. It can be created manually by an operator or triggered by a computing device (e.g. auxiliary server, artificial intelligence, etc.). An event is characterized by a geographical area and a timeframe, and is associated with parameters. For example, an event can depict a traffic jam in a particular neighbourhood, automatically triggered by traffic information servers. More than one event can occur simultaneously. Each event can have different parameters, location and time frame. Other examples of an event are detailed further below.

[0041] When the event is manually created, it is preferably made by an operator who is a person or group of people who have the need and the authority to instruct, control, request a fee or incentivise a particular transport related activity within a particular geographical area.

[0042] The geographical area can be a 2D zone, like a neighbourhood or a set of streets in a city, a portion of a highway, a piece of land in the countryside, a floor of a building, a portion of a sea or an ocean. The geographical area can also be a 3D area, like a fly-zone, a volume of outer-space, an underground cavity or a sub-water volume. It can be identified by any suitable means, i.e. GPS coordinates, altitude, centre and radius, street names, cadastral identification, depth below sea level, etc. When more than one event occurs at the same time, the areas of the two events can be different or can be similar, they can overlap or one area can be included into another area. A geographical area can be made of several non-adjacent sub-areas. Within the present patent description, the word “area” employed alone is intended to refer to a geographical area of an event.

[0043] A monitored region is a wider zone than the geographical area of an event. For instance, a “region” can be an entire city, county or country, whereas the “area” is smaller, as explained in the previous paragraph.

[0044] The time frame defines the timely occurrence of the event. The time frame can be defined by the user creating the event. It can be materialized by predetermined starting and ending dates and times. The starting and/or ending instants can also be linked to various external data, for instance the amount of traffic or the pollution level in a particular area. The event can be defined as permanent (un-ending).

[0045] The parameters associated with the event take various forms. It can be a reward or a fee for a particular activity within the geographical area, for instance a fee per distance travelled in a particular means of transportation. The fee can be linked to the CO2 emission, the time spent ( ( (stationary or not) in the area. Likewise, the associated parameters can comprise a reward. For instance, a reward per kilometre cycled or a reward for not entering the area of the event can be granted. The associated parameters can also entail the type of event or the targeted people who may be concerned by the event. Alternatively, the associated parameter can consist in the information that the area is forbidden for particular means of transportation or for non-authorized people. Other examples of associated parameters are detailed further below.

[0046] A recipient associated with an event is an entity or a person that is notified of the event information data, or in other words the occurrence of the event, together with the particulars of the event (area, time, associated parameters). The recipient can be an individual receiving a message through post-mail, e-mail, computer mobile device. The recipient can also be a server such as a vehicle communication server. The vehicle can be a land vehicle (car, train, bus), an aerial vehicle (drone, aircraft, satellite), a watercraft (boat, submarine, windsurf, etc.). The vehicle can be partly semi-autonomous or entirely autonomously driven. When the recipient is an autonomous vehicle, for instance a delivery vehicle, the event can be in the form of an authorization to enter a predetermined area around a user’s house. If the event is of the type “emergency”, all people nearby or within the geographical area of the event should be recipients. If the event is of a type related to car traffic, it may not be appropriate to notify individuals who do not possess a car, to avoid unnecessary spamming. The recipient can also be any third party identified as recipient by the operator who creates the event. The recipient can also be a signalling device such as traffic light, variable traffic sign or matrix sign.

[0047] The transport related activity that is monitored can be any behaviour related to transportation of the recipient that occurs within the area of the event. Thus, the mere physical presence of the recipient in the area is measured. The various means of transportation and their features (CO2 level, number of kilometres travelled, time spent, etc.) can be measured. For instance, if a person decides not to enter an area that is momentarily restricted, he/she can be rewarded (or not charged a fine). If a person cycles through an area and then takes a bus, he/she can be rewarded for not having driven a specific vehicle through the area. The monitoring is technically carried out by adapted and known detecting means. For instance, the tracking of the mobile phone of the user can be used. An example of a multi-modal tracking of a user to determine a travelling fee is disclosed in US 2011/0060600 A1. The determination of a travelling fee in public transportation is also described in WO 2016/012994 A1 or WO 2016/012475 A1. The technology for tracking the distance travelled by bicycle is also known, for instance from US 8,952,786 B1. Detecting carpooling drivers is disclosed in US 2010/0161392 A1. These documents and the technology that they disclose are only given as illustrative examples. The skilled person knows that many variations of these technologies can be made without departing from the present invention.

[0048] The operation that is performed as a result of the monitored activity during the event can take various forms. The operation can be money-related, such as the payment of a reward or the raising of a fee or fine. The operation can also merely consist in registering in a memory the activity or non-activity of the recipient for further processing. The data related to the activity of a recipient can also be for instance sent/sold to third parties such as governmental authorities or advertisement companies. When the transport related activity relates to the shipment of a product, the operation to be performed can be for example the update of the track & trace database or the confirmation that the product has effectively been delivered. The system and method of the invention are such that any kind of operation can be programmed by the operator or auxiliary server (or artificial intelligence entity) creating the event. In any case however, the operation takes into account the monitored activity, or absence of activity, related to transport, by the recipient of the event information data.

Brief description of the drawings [0049] Other benefits of the present invention will become apparent in the light of the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a system according to the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 depict block diagrams of a central server and a mobile computing device, respectively;

Figure 4 is a flowchart of part of an embodiment of the method according to the invention;

Figure 5 illustrates a functional diagram of an embodiment of the system of the invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments [0050] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing in schematic form an exemplary embodiment of the system of the invention, where a central server 200 communicates with various external servers and devices utilising one or more networks. An operator 108 either initiates communication to (e.g. creating an event with associated parameters) and/or receives communication from (e.g. feedback information, for instance the monitored transport related activity of the recipients) the central server 200 utilising network 104. The operator 108 is, but does not have to be, a representative of a public authority or one of the many forms of companies.

[0051] The system can comprise a traffic information server 114 that provides data (e.g. location, duration, congestion level at a particular point in time) in regard to traffic throughout an area (for example, traffic congestion within a city, county or country can be pushed in real-time from the server) to the server 200 utilising network 110.

[0052] The system can comprise an environmental factors information server 124 which provides real-time data (e.g. pollution severity levels by location, time, expected duration) in regard to the environmental factors throughout an area (for example, air or water pollution within a city, county or country) to the central server 200 utilising network 120.

[0053] The central server 200 can use the traffic data and/or the environmental factors information to automatically generate an event with relevant associated parameters and optional advice messages as configured, if needs be, by the authorised operator 108.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the central server 200 communicates the event information data at the appropriate time (which can be real-time and/or as scheduled) directly to the targeted mobile computing device(s) utilising network 140 and/or indirectly via a vehicle communication server 134 utilising network 130 that can in turn communicate to their mobile computing device(s) 144 utilising network 136.

[0055] The monitored transport related activity can either be communicated directly from a mobile computing device 144 to the central server 200 directly via network 140 or indirectly via their vehicle communication server 134.

[0056] The system may further comprise a public transport communication server 164 which provides data in regard to public transport (e.g. at what particular time train arrived at and departed from a particular station in a particular direction on a particular line) to the central server 200 through network 160.

[0057] The system may further comprise a vehicle registration server 154 which provides data (e.g. the name and address of the owner of the vehicle) in regard to the ownership of one or more vehicles if and as required to the central server 200 utilising network 150.

[0058] All data obtained/received can result in zero, one or more incentives to be paid and/or fees to be billed which are communicated to a payment services platform 174 utilising network 170.

[0059] The mechanism used to initiate the communication between the various servers and the central server can be a push, pull or any other of the various means technically possible and made available.

[0060] The general process of the method is as follows: an event is instantiated in the central server 200, for instance via a personal computing device 106 or an auxiliary server 114, 124. The central server 200 stores the information related to the event (date, time, location and associated parameters). The central server 200 identifies the recipient(s) associated with the event, generates and sends an event information data to the recipient(s) directly (see network 140) or indirectly through a vehicle communication server 134. The central server 200 may wait for an acknowledgement to be received from each mobile computing device 144 and/or vehicle communication server 134.

[0061] The acknowledgement can be stored in the central server 200 in the form of a unique reference of the event information data, a unique identifier of the mobile computing device 144 and/or vehicle communication server 134, and the associated date/time stamp of the effective reception of the data.

[0062] In absence of acknowledgment from some of the recipient, the sending of the event information data can be repeated periodically for a predetermined number of times. The system may be programmed to do its utmost to obtain positive confirmation that the event information has been received, by automatically resending the information during a specified period of time (e.g. timeout) until acknowledgment is received.

[0063] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a central server 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The central server 200 can be a single system or multiple distributed systems working in union. As shown by way of example, the central server 200 includes a processor 202, connectivity 204, an operating system 206, memory/storage 208, a database 210, an event information data generation module 220, an accounting module 230, a billing/payment module 235, trip data receipt module 240, trip verification/validation module 245, public transport data module 250 and another external data module 260. The processor 202 and operating system 206 allow software to be executed. Alternatively, a firmware (i.e. hardware) can be foreseen, thus removing the need for software. The memory/storage 208 can take many forms, including but not limited to flash memory, random access memory (RAM), solid state memory, hard disk and can be used to store the software and/or data. The connectivity 204 enables data to be received/sent from/to the various external systems, including but not limited to (referral numbers see figure 1): mobile computing device(s) 144, vehicle communication servers(s)

134, vehicle registration server(s) 154, public transport communication server(s) 164, payment services platform(s) 174, personal computing device 106 and receive data from various external systems, including but not limited to: environment factors information server 124 and traffic information server 114. The connectivity 204 can be done via a wireless and/or fixed line (e.g. twisted pair, glass fibre, etc.) data network (e.g. the internet using TCP/IP or any other suitable data packet switching protocol) or any hybrid of the aforementioned. The connectivity 204 can use one or more communication technologies, including but not limited to: modems, routers, switches, near- field communications (NFC) chip, a Wi-Fi™ transceiver, a Bluetooth® transceiver, an infrared transceiver or an ultrawideband transceiver, and/or GSM, LTE, CDMA or any other technology using TCP/IP, GPRS, EDGE, Evolved EDGE, HSPA, etc.

[0064] The event information data generation module 220 is either a standalone or integrated module that creates an event information data following the creation of an event in the central server 200. The event information data can be in the form of an advice message based upon the parameters associated with the event or based upon receipt of external data from one of the auxiliary servers.

[0065] The means by which an auxiliary server creates an event can be done automatically by, but not limited to, any of the following: predefined rules, thresholds, utilizing artificial intelligence, neural network and/or machine learning.

[0066] For example, an authorised operator could stipulate that an event is to be automatically generated for the area within a city when external data indicates pollution levels exceeding a particular threshold.

[0067] All created and/or generated event information data are saved to a nonvolatile store either within the database 210 and/or the memory/storage 208 where they can be accessed when and as required, for example: communicating either directly or indirectly to one or more mobile computing devices 144, audit, validation & verification purposes, data enrichment, reporting etc.

[0068] The trip data receipt module 240 interacts with any suitable detecting means to gather the information related to the activity of the recipients during an event.

[0069] A trip verification or validation module 245 can be foreseen to perform a verification of the data obtained by the trip data receipt module 240. A cross-checking of the data can thus enhance the reliability of the system by, for instance avoiding cheaters to be unduly rewarded.

[0070] A public transport data module 250 or other external data module 260 can gather data from respective servers (see for instance on figure 1, servers 114, 124, 164).

[0071] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a mobile computing device 144 which can receive event information data from, and optionally provide relevant trip data to, the central server. The mobile computing device 144 can come in many forms dependent on their application & implementation, such as cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets, portable digital assistants, smartwatches, Internet of Things, etc., and any such electronic devices (either proprietary or third-party) that provide the required functionality and can be installed either temporarily or permanently in any vehicle. As shown by way of example, the mobile computing device 144 can include a processor 300, memory/storage 310, an operating system 320, messaging means 330, connectivity 340, one or more optional sensors 350 and one or more optional control modules 360.

[0072] The processor 300, memory/storage 310, operating system 320, and connectivity 340 can use various technologies, similarly to the examples given above in the detailed description of figure 2, in relation to the central server.

[0073] The memory/storage 310 can store the data collected by the optional sensors 350.

[0074] The messaging means 330 can be in many forms, including but not limited to a display (e.g. an LCD or LED screen or touch-sensitive display screen) and/or a speaker and/or microphone for communicating to people and receiving communication from people.

[0075] Alternatively, or in combination, the messaging means 330 can be or communicate with an external device not physically part of the mobile computing device 144, such as a display on the dashboard of a vehicle.

[0076] The optional control module 350 can be programmed to automatically respond to the event information data received from the central server.

[0077] The optional sensors 350 can include sensors for determining location (e.g. utilising GPS, Radiolocation techniques, Wi-Fi™ Positioning System (WPS), etc.), speed, acceleration, altitude which would gather date-time stamped data associated with a trip. The sensors 350 can also comprise smartwatch sensors, such as heat-beat monitors or other body data which can be used to validate or double-check the transportation means used by a person walking or cycling. High definition maps using references to Roadbook Experience Management™ (REM™) can also be used alternatively to, or in complement with, the geolocation.

[0078] Figure 4 describes an embodiment of the method according to the invention. The steps of the flowchart are not limited to happening chronologically as drawn.

[0079] At step 4000, an event is instantiated in the central server. This can be done by an operator or an auxiliary server.

[0080] At step 4010, the central server identifies the recipient(s) associated with the event, generates and sends an event information data to the recipient(s).

[0081] An optional step 4020, may be foreseen to receive acknowledgement of receipt of the event information data by the recipient.

[0082] At step 4030, the event takes place. While the event is happening, sensors or detecting means monitor the activity or inactivity of the recipient within the geographical area of the event. The monitored activity can be sent in real-time (or near-real-time) to the server. Alternatively, or in complement, at step 4040, trip data can be sent to the central server after the end of the event. An event can be permanent, in the sense that it does not have a pre-set ending time. It may therefore be of importance to make sure that monitored activity or trip data can be transferred to the central server, if necessary, even during the event.

[0083] At step 4050, the appropriate operation is performed by the central server in response to the monitored activity.

[0084] As an example, the transfer of the trip data or monitored activity can comprise one or more of the following steps:

- sending the trip data or monitored activity from detecting means, mobile computing devices and/or vehicle communication server;

- receiving the trip data in the central server;

- validating trip data and match with event information data. This step can be particularly useful when a particular trip data is relevant for more than one event;

- obtaining and storing public transport data if public transport has been utilised during trip. For exemplary purposes, during a multi-modal trip containing an element of walking and taking a bus, applicable public transport information is obtained from a public transport communication server;

- verifying the trip data using public transport data. To enhance the reliability of the system, it may be worth double-checking the trip data. Thus, the check-in I check-out of a contactless pass in a bus, the presence of a mobile phone in a train, the heart-beat of a walker or cyclist, or any other kind of data can be crossed with the trip data sent by a mobile computing device;

- calculating an incentive and/or fee and store it as accounting records;

- fetching the relevant owner/driver details from a vehicle registration server and update the accounting record accordingly;

- transferring the accounting record to a billing platform;

- initiating the payment of the reward or raising of the fee.

[0085] Figure 5 is a schematic depiction of the system and method of the present invention being utilised with various means of transport either directly or indirectly via one or more vehicle communication servers 134 and/or one or more public transport communication servers 164.

[0086] The schematic illustrates an example embodiment of the many possibilities that the present invention can be applied to, covering but not being limited to: soft mobility, multi-mobility, public transport, nonautonomous, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles whether manned or unmanned, land based, water based and/or airborne.

[0087] In this example, the system shows that a vehicle has either its own mobile computing device, it is monitored by a networked computing device which has some of the key features of a mobile computing device and/or it is manned by a person who has with him/her a mobile computing device. The central server 200 generates the event information data and receives trip data or monitored activity back either directly or indirectly from one or more of the mobile computing devices or detecting means.

[0088] Further information may be sent back to the operator or auxiliary server that created the event.

[0089] In this exemplary system, there are three categories of vehicles.

[0090] The first category concerns those vehicles that belong to a group. All communications between the central server 200 and the mobile computing device(s) are done via a vehicle communication server 134 utilising in this example network 136 and/or 510. The vehicle communication server 134 communicates to a vehicle hub 500 utilising network 136 which in turn communicates with a plurality of vehicles 505. Vehicles 505 in this figure are shown as a bicycle. Each bicycle 505 communicates with one or more vehicle hubs 500 when the bicycle 505 is installed at a vehicle hub 500. Examples of such a grouping is a bike hire scheme or car sharing scheme. In this illustrated group it may be the combination of the vehicle hub 500 and bicycle 505 that provides the required feedback as monitored transport related activity.

[0091] Various kinds of means of transportation can be associated with a vehicle hub, such as cars, bicycles, boats, vehicles owned by a company such as a transportation network company owning one or more autonomous vehicle(s), etc.

[0092] The vehicle communication server 134 can also communicate to vehicles directly through a network 510. Such vehicles are represented here by a boat 515. Examples of vehicles 515 include but are not limited to: boats, cars, smart bicycles, smart self-balancing scooters, drones, helicopters and airplanes.

[0093] The second category of means of transportation in this exemplary embodiment are those that communicate directly with the central server 200 through network 140 and are typically managed not as part of a group. In this category, various means of transportation can be used, namely:

- bicycle 540, which is not a smart bicycle and is ridden by a person 545 who has with him/her a mobile computing device 535. Vehicle 540 can alternatively be a scooter, a skateboard, a rollerblade, a unicycle, a sailboat, etc.;

- car 550, which is either not a smart car being driven by a person 555 who carries a mobile computing device 535 or a smart car within which a person 555 who carries a mobile computing device 535 is a passenger. Vehicle 550 can also be for instance a motorbike, a boat, a helicopter, etc.;

- vehicle 520 which in this illustration is an unmanned aerial vehicle 520 containing a mobile computing device;

- a walking or running person 530 carrying a mobile computing device 535.

In other words, any vehicle can become part of a second category group, said group being created as and when a first vehicle joins it/creates it.

[0094] The third category of vehicles are those that provide public transport and communicate with the central server 200 via a public transport communication server 164 (utilising network 160) that is responsible for all communications to and from the vehicles (utilising network 580 and/or 590). Vehicle 585 is shown here as a bus containing a mobile computing device that has network communication capabilities. Alternatively, vehicle 585 can be a boat, a car, a tram, a train (overland and underground). It is also possible to foresee vehicles 598 which do not directly communicate with the public transport communication server 164. A set of official stops 594 gathers trip data of vehicle 598 and/or of passengers of the vehicle 598, and communicates this via network 590. Such data may be for example at what time tram 598 arrived at and departed from a particular official stop 594. Other than a tram, the vehicle 598 can alternatively be a boat, a car, a bus, a train (overland and underground), etc.

[0095] Although the system is shown on figure 5 with three categories of vehicle, the system can interact with less than three categories of vehicle, simultaneously or successively, for one particular event or many events potentially overlapping in time and place. The main purpose of figure 5 is to illustrate the possible ways of exchange of information between the various entities that the system can contain.

[0096] It is to be noted that a particular vehicle may be in one of these three categories for a given event and may be - at the same time - in another category for another event. For example, a particular vehicle can communicate directly with the central server in the context of a given event, whereas at the same time, other information related to another event transit through a hub server.

[0097] The following paragraphs provide examples of events that can be created with the method and system of the invention and their associated parameters and operations to be performed.

[0098] In a first exemplary use of the system of the invention, an environmental factor server identifies that area A in city Y will have high level of pollution levels on day Z. This data is sent to the central server. Upon receipt of this data, the central server instantiates a pollution event for geographical area A and for day Z. The parameters associated with this pollution event can be pre-set by a user/operator or can be determined by an artificial intelligence, which can be part of the central server or the environmental factor server.

[0099] The pollution event information data can be in the form of two advice messages. The first message can be, for example, that all road going vehicles with internal combustion engines driving (non-autonomous, semiautonomous or autonomous) within area A during day Z will have to pay a fee of 1 Euro per kilometre travelled (exception being for example police and emergency service vehicles); the second advice message being that, for example, all bicycle trips done with the area A during day Z, up to a maximum of 20 km during the day will be incentivised by 0.29 Euro per kilometre cycled point-to-point for any journeys of more than 2 km. The fees and incentive are part of the associated parameters of the event. The advice messages are communicated to the relevant mobile computing devices associated with the targeted vehicle categories by the central server. The acknowledgements of the receipt of the communication received back from the mobile computing devices are stored. The mobile computing devices will inform the user/owner by visual and/or audible communication as necessary - this may be for example on a display of a car, and/or at the terminal of the owner of a fleet of cars or on the smartphone and/or smartwatch of a person living and/or working in city Y. Each of the messages can be sent only to targeted audience ^recipients), namely the people and/or vehicles potentially concerned with the transportation means related to the event.

[0100] Any data associated with trips done by bicycle within area A in city Y during day Z will be communicated by the mobile computing device(s) to the central server. The data is stored and validated.

[0101] If qualified for an incentive as specified with the generated advice messages targeting soft mobility, the applicable incentive(s) will be calculated, stored as accounting records and communicated both to the mobile computing device and to the billing payment platform for execution.

[0102] Any trip data or monitored activity of vehicles with combustion engines within area A in city Y during day Z will be communicated by the mobile computing device(s) to the central server. The data is stored, validated and any fees that are due in relation to the kilometres travelled as specified within the associated advice message are calculated. The resulting accounting records are communicated both to the mobile computing device(s) and the billing payment platform for execution. The communication to the billing payment platform can be enriched with the vehicles owner details as obtained by the central server from a vehicle registration server.

[0103] In a second exemplary use of the system of the invention, a company decides to subsidise employees who travel to and from their workplace using public transport but only those employees who make such commutes at least 10 days each month. An authorized officer (actor 108 on figure 1) creates a company event via his/her personal computing device. The central server may inform the employees ^recipients) accordingly through their professional e-mail addresses.

[0104] All acknowledgements received by the central server back form the employees are stored in memory. During the time of the event (a month, renewable), any data associated with trips done utilizing public transport by the employees to and from their workplace is communicated automatically by any appropriate means to the central server. The data can be validated or double-checked. Relevant trip data can also be obtained from a public transport data server.

[0105] In this example, the central server will perform an operation of notification to the authorized officer of whether an employee qualifies for an incentive.

[0106] Data privacy concerns can be avoided by anonymizing the data such that the employer only knows how many of his/her employees qualify but not which ones exactly.

[0107] The authorized officer can validate the incentive and record an accounting record such that the next pay slip of the employee is updated accordingly. Alternatively, the payment can be devolved to another entity (e.g. staff representative committee) to avoid a direct impact on the employee’s pay slip or career.

[0108] In a third exemplary use of the system of the invention, a city is having a problem with congestion in the busy nightlife area B during peak times due to vehicles (non-autonomous, semi-autonomous and/or autonomous) travelling to pick up one or more persons and vehicles (non-autonomous, semi-autonomous and/or autonomous) belonging to either individuals and/or one or more taxi companies and/or other forms of ride-hailing companies in the proximity of the busy nightlife area B due to vehicles best positioning themselves to win potential clients. An authorized actor representing the city enters the required data in the central server to create an event. The congestion event concerns area B, during peak times.

[0109] The identified recipients of the congestion event information data can be the above-mentioned taxi companies and/or ride-hailing drivers. The congestion event information data can reflect the request as specified by the data received from the authorized actor; an example being that all vehicles who spend more than 10 minutes within the busy nightlife area B of the city between the hours of 22:00 and 24:00 on a Friday or Saturday evening will incur a fee of 5 euros for each additional 10 minutes spent regardless of whether the vehicle is stationary or moving. The event is thus defined by the geographical area B, the timeframe (10pm to 12 pm on Fridays and Saturdays), and the associated parameters (5 euros per additional 10 minutes).

[0110] The congestion event information data is transferred to appropriate recipients via appropriate servers.

[0111] Adapted detecting means, such as tracking system in the vehicle(s) or taxi companies’ servers or mobile computing devices of ride-hailing drivers will feed the central server with transport related activity and the car owners or taxi companies will be charged according to the cumulative time spent in the identified area B. This can be done regardless if a vehicle leaves and re-enters the congested area one or more times.

[0112] In a fourth exemplary use of the system of the invention, a security/terrorism alert has been raised in the central area C of a city and in order to minimize certain threats the city wishes to stop all vehicles (e.g. non-autonomous, semiautonomous, autonomous; land based vehicles such as cars and trucks, air borne vehicles such as drones, water going vehicles such as boats) from entering that area C until the alert has been downgraded with the exception of police, military and emergency service vehicles. An authorized actor representing the authorities creates an emergency event, identifying the area C. The time frame of the event is unending since the event should be active until the authorized actor himself/herself ends it.

[0113] The central server immediately sends emergency event information data to all appropriate recipients. In this case, it can be any mobile phone connected to a cell site of the city and any vehicle communication server within a specified distance of the area C.

[0114] Any data associated with a vehicle failing to abide by the instruction (i.e. enter the area C they were advised not to do so) will be monitored and any other important information available (e.g. speed or travel, direction of travel, type of vehicle etc.) will be tracked so that the necessary response can be done by the police and/or security forces. Furthermore, if a vehicle communication server or a mobile computing device of a driver/passenger contains a control module, the latter can - upon the vehicle failing to abide by the instruction to avoid a restricted area - either automatically reduce the motion to a harmless speed (such as 10 km/h if a land based vehicle) or simply stop the vehicle from travelling any further into the area C (e.g. land a drone automatically or stop a car automatically in a safe manner).

[0115] Once the alert level has been reduced to the appropriate level, the authorized actor will end the event. Appropriate message (event information data) can be sent to appropriate recipients.

[0116] The system of the invention can also display the event information data on dynamic displays or road signs. The system can perform control operations to facilitate the transport related activity, for instance adjusting the traffic lights such that the emergency vehicles can access more quickly the area C.

[0117] In another exemplary embodiment, the event can be a restriction of an area for particular vehicles such as trucks weighing above a threshold (e.g. 3.5 tons).

[0118] The system of the invention can also be used to allocate urban resources to predetermined user. For example, a particular street can be forbidden for cars on week-ends or a lane of the street can be restricted to bicycles during rush hours, on summer non-raining days. Through the system and method of the invention, offenders can be automatically charged.

[0119] In yet another example, the event can be an authorization given to a delivering company to enter a private area. Thus, a user can create an event which consists in the authorization to fly over his house at specific time for receiving a parcel delivered by a drone.

[0120] The drones can be restricted to fly above a threshold to avoid any collision with land vehicles, humans or man-made constructions, and/or to fly below another threshold to avoid collision with aircrafts. These restrictions can be governed by the creation of an event by local authorities through the system of the invention.

[0121] The system can be such that any actor can become an operator creating an event. Thus, a trade union can create a demonstration event, send an appropriate message to appropriate people and automatically monitor the number of participants to the demonstration, among those who have effectively received the message.

[0122] A person in need of a taxi or any other service can create an event inviting appropriate people/company to deliver the service (people or company in the vicinity of the area of the event).

[0123] The event can consist in the restriction to enter a collection and/or drop-off area at a public event venue (company, concert hall, stadium, etc.) to the autonomous vehicles of authorized occupant, i.e. those holding a ticket or a right to attend the public event at that date and time.

[0124] The event can be a “dynamic real-time location” event. The geographical area can evolve continuously at any time. An example of such an event could be the non-allowance of any kind of vehicle (boat, drone, airplane) in the vicinity of a (potentially moving) military vessel.

[0125] An event can be created by local authorities to prevent fishing boats from fishing in predetermined areas on predetermined dates.

[0126] Since a geographical area can be made of several non-adjacent subareas, a company can create an event for rewarding cycling employees, wherein a sub-area can be defined in the vicinity of their home and a subarea can be defined in the vicinity of the workplace. This can be advantageous for checking that no employee is cheating by only cycling for the last few meters before reaching the workplace.

[0127] The various embodiments detailed above aim only at providing examples for illustration purposes. The combination of parts of an embodiment with any other embodiment is also possible. In particular, it is to be understood that several events of various kind, as those given in example above, can be created by one single system or method according to the invention. The events can be created by various operators or auxiliary servers and they can overlap in time and space.

[0128] The central server of the invention can be connected to various other services in relation to transport activities, such as parking lots, maintenance of the vehicles, technical inspection, insurances, driving lessons companies, shipping, assembly of orders in a warehouse, etc.

[0129] The central server can be part of a mobile computing device.

[0130] The central server can alternatively consist in a plurality of distributed servers which can be independent from each other. When appropriate according to the kind of event that is to be treated, block-chain or cryptographic technologies can be utilised.

Claims

1. Method for monitoring and/or regulating transport related activities comprising the following steps:

- instancing (4000) an event in a central server (200), the event being at least constituted by a geographical area, a time frame and associated parameters;

- associating the event to at least one recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598), possibly on request from the recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598);

- sending (4010) event information data to the at least one recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598) associated with said event;

- automatically monitoring (4040, 4050) the transport related activity or absence of activity, of the at least one recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598), in said geographical area and only during said time frame, and

- performing (4060) an operation based on the parameters associated with said event and the monitored activity or absence thereof.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein after or while sending the information data, a request to acknowledge receipt is sent to the recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598), and the operation is only performed for recipients having actually acknowledged receipt.

3. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the instantiation of the event is triggered by at least one auxiliary server (114, 124) when a predetermined criterion is present.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary server is an environmental factors information server (124) monitoring the pollution over a geographical region and determining whether a geographical area of this region is or will be subject to a pollution level higher than a predetermined threshold.

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the auxiliary server is a traffic information server (114) monitoring the traffic over a geographical region and determining whether a geographical area of this region is or will be subject to a traffic level higher than a predetermined threshold.

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the event is set manually by an operator (108).

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of monitoring the activity of the recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598) comprises at least one of: monitoring the means of transportation used by an individual (530, 545, 555), monitoring the entry in and/or exit of the geographical area by an individual (530, 545, 555), monitoring the duration/time spent by an individual (530, 545, 555) within the geographical area.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the monitoring of the means of transportation comprises a step of receiving information data from a mobile computer device (144, 535), a vehicle hub server (500), a vehicle communication server (134), and/or a public transport communication server (164).

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598) is an individual (530, 545, 555), a mobile computing device (144, 535) or a vehicle communication server (134).

10. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the parameters associated with an event are one or more of: a reward, a fee, a restriction to enter or remain inside of the geographical area.

11. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the performed operation consists in the payment of the reward, or the raising of a fee or a fine.

12. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the performed operation consists in the registration in a memory (208) of, or the update of a database (210) with, the activity of the recipient.

13. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the event is dynamically updated:

- on the basis of the monitored activity and/or

- on the basis of information data sent by a recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598) and/or

- by the operator (108) and/or

- by an auxiliary server (114, 124).

14. System for the monitoring and/or regulation of transport related activities in accordance with the method of any of the claims 1 to 13, the system comprising:

- a central server (200) adapted to perform the instantiation of an event, the event being at least constituted by a geographical area, a time frame and associated parameters;

- communication means (130, 136, 140, 150, 204) for sending event information data to at least one recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598) associated with said event;

- detecting means for monitoring the activity or absence of activity, of the at least one recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598), in said geographical area and during said time frame; and

- processing means (206, 208, 210, 230, 235, 240, 245, 250, 260) for performing an operation based on the parameters associated with said event and the monitored activity or absence thereof.

15. System according to claim 14, further comprising at least one auxiliary server (114, 124) which triggers the instantiation of an event upon occurrence of predetermined criteria; and means of communication (110, 120) between the central server (200) and the auxiliary server (114, 124).

16. System according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising a mobile computing device (144, 535) or a vehicle communication server (134), and a means of communication (130, 136, 140) between the central server (200) and the mobile computing device (144, 535) or vehicle communication server (134), wherein the mobile computing device (144, 535) or vehicle communication server (134) is programmed to acknowledge receipt, on request from the central server (200), upon reception of the event information data.

17. System according to any of claims 14 to 16, further comprising a payment server (174, 230, 235) to operate the performed operation.

18. System according to any of claims 14 to 17, further comprising a memory (208) with a database (210), and the performed operation consists in the registration in the memory (208) of, or the update of a database (210) with, the activity of the recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598).

19. System according to any of claims 14 to 18, further comprising communication means (130, 136, 140, 150, 160, 204, 330, 340, 510, 580, 590) to receive information data sent by a recipient (134, 144, 500, 505, 515, 520, 530, 535, 540, 545, 550, 555, 585, 598).

20. System according to any of claims 14 to 19, further comprising at least one of:

- a land vehicle (505, 540, 550, 585, 598), preferably at least partially autonomously driven;

- an unmanned aerial vehicle (520);

- a watercraft (515);

- a plurality of said vehicles (505, 515) connected to a vehicle hub server (500); and/or

- a plurality of said vehicles (585, 598) as public transportation means, connected to a public transport communication server (164).