WO2022020650A1 - Crowd sourced traffic and vehicle monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for gaining participation by individuals of an area to monitor for one or more traffic conditions in the area, by rewarding reports of the traffic conditions by the individuals. Application software ("application") is made available for download to a device of an individual. Application operates with device to measure a traffic condition such as an unsafe traffic environment, or a vehicle speeding, operating m a congestion zone, or otherwise committing a traffic violation. Application processes the measured traffic condition, generates a traffic condition report, and sends the report to a monitoring, enforcement, and reward (MER) system. MER. system processes report, and may act such as by rewarding individual associated with device sending traffic condition report. MER system may act on report by sending a fine to person associated with traffic violation, or in case of an unsafe traffic environment, sending information to entity- charged with addressing unsafe environment.

Description

TITLE: CROWD SOURCED TRAFFIC AND VEHICLE MONITORING SYSTEM

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and benefit of the prior filed co-pending and commonly owned provisional application, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on July 22, 2020, assigned Serial No. 63/055,151, entitled Crowd Sourced Traffic and Monitoring System, and incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

The inventions relate generally to traffic and vehicle monitoring systems, and more particularly, to systems for improving traffic.

BACKGROUND

Road transportation accounted for 23.8% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 2017: Fast Facts, U.S. Transportation Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990-2017, issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2019, EPA-420-F-19-047, https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P100WUHR.pdf, which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, traffic congestion is a growing problem, costing each person in the United States an average of 100 hours of wasted time in traffic in 2019.

One mechanism to reduce traffic congestion and emissions is the implementation of road pricing, or road user charges. Road users are charged for using certain roads at certain times, thereby changing the trade offs for driving personal cars vs. taking public transport. This has shown positive results in many cities around the world.

A large problem with road pricing, however, is the cost of implementing and maintaining the system. Typically, road pricing is enforced through the use of cameras or other sensors mounted near the roads and around congestion zones. The installation of these sensors can cost hundreds of millions of dollars for a large city, and also have a negative impact on the appearance of the city.

Maintenance is costly, and any changes to the road pacing rules that require new sensors are also expensive.

Therefore, a need exists in the field for a traffic rule enforcement system, which is less expensive to set up and maintain, and more flexible to changes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Stated generally, the invention relates to a method for gaining participation of individuals of an area to monitor for a traffic condition in the area by rewarding reports of the traffic condition by the individuals. Application software is made available for download, respectfully, to devices of participating individuals. The application software is operative with the devices to measure one or more traffic conditions, to process the measured traffic conditions according to a ruleset that generates a traffic condition report, and to send the traffic condition report to a monitoring, more traffic conditions, to process the measured traffic conditions according to a raieset that generates a traffic condition report, and to send the traffic condition report to a monitoring, enforcement, and reward (MER) system. In response to receipt of the traffic condition report, the MER system may take action on the traffic condition reports such as by sending a reward to the individual associated with the device. The reward is an incentive to individuals to participate by monitoring for the traffic conditions and reporting them. The MER system may take other actions based on the traffic condition reports such as by sending fines for reported traffic violations or by sending information to appropriate authorities in response to reports of an unsafe traffic environment.

The advantages of the invention are numerous For example, a typical traffic sensing network using traditional ALPR camera systems may cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per camera. In contrast, embodiments of the invention may be implemented with zero infrastructure costs. Moreover, embodiments of the invention provide for dynamic traffic management. Current traffic sensing networks are static in that sensing is carried out at fixed points such as traffic lights. These status networks do not catch traffic violations on the move away from such fixed points. The dynamic nature of the invention allows for new ideas in managing traffic without incurring expenses in moving or adding static equipment. As an example, the dynamic nature of an embodiment of the invention may allow for changing the boundaries of a traffic congestion zone based on real-time traffic over the entire traffic area rather than remaining dependent on static ALPR camera sites. Moving such camera sites is inordinately expensive while changing the ruleset in the application software of an embodiment of the invention.

Stated more specifically, an embodiment of the invention may make application software available for download to a device of an individual. The application software operates with the device to measure a traffic condition, to process the measured traffic condition according to a ruleset that generates a traffic condition report, and to send the traffic condition report to a monitoring, enforcement, and reward (MER) system. It receives the traffic condition report from the device. In response to receipt of the traffic condition report, the MER system sends a reward to the individual associated with the device.

The traffic conditions measured or detected by the device operating with the application software may be of different types and circumstances. For example, a traffic condition may be a vehicle The MER system may obtain identification information about an owner of the vehicle and send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle such as in the case of a traffic violation. Such a traffic violation may be that the vehicle is present in a congestion zone during operating hours of the congestion zone or that the vehicle is committing a parking violation.

An embodiment of the invention may include more than one device with the application software interacting with the MER system. The devices may send, respectively, traffic condition reports about the same traffic condition to the MER system. It may store the traffic condition reports about the same traffic condition in memory. The MER system also may aggregate the traffic condition reports about the same traffic condition, and may process the aggregated traffic condition reports. Specifically, the MER system may receive a first traffic condition report about a vehicle from a first device and store it in memory. The MER system may receive a second traffic condition report about the vehicle from a second device. The MER system also stores the second traffic condition report in memory. In addition, the MER system aggregates the first traffic report and the second traffic condition report in the memory as aggregated traffic condition reports. The MER system processes the aggregated traffic condition reports.

In an embodiment of the invention, the MER system processes the aggregated traffic condition reports by calculating a distance between location of the vehicle in the first traffic condition report and location of the vehicle in the second traffic condition report. The MER system obtains identification information about an owner of the vehicle and sends an invoice to the owner of the vehicle for an amount owed based on the calculated distance.

In another embodiment, the vehicle may be first measured by the device with the application software in a parking space at a first time as reported in a first traffic condition report The vehicle may be next measured in the parking space at a second time as reported in a second traffic condition report. The MER system processes the aggregated traffic condition reports by calculating a duration of time spent by the vehicle in the parking space between the first time and the second time. The MER system may obtain identification information about an owner of the vehicle, and send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle for an amount owed for parking based on the calculated duration of time Also in this embodiment, the MER system may evaluate whether the vehicle committed a parking violation. Upon determining the parking violation had occurred, the MER system may send of time Also in this embodiment, the MER system may evaluate whether the vehicle committed a parking violation. Upon determining the parking violation had occurred, the MER system may send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle for an amount owed based on the parking violation.

In vet another embodiment, the MER system may process the aggregated traffic condition reports by determining whether a vehicle exceeded a legal speed limit between the time of first measurement of the vehicle as reported in the first traffic condition report and the time of the second measurement of the vehicle as reported in the second traffic report Upon determining the vehicle exceeded the legal speed limit, the MER system may send a fine to an owner of the vehicle.

Further, an embodiment causes the MER system to process the aggregated traffic condition reports by determining a path of a vehicle between the first traffic condition report and the second traffic report. The MER system may determine whether the path of the vehicle passed through a congestion zone during operating hours of the congestion zone. Upon finding that the vehicle passed through the congestion zone, the MER system may send an invoice to an owner of the vehicle.

An addition embodiment of the invention defines a traffic condition as malfunctioning road infrastructure. Upon receiving a traffic condition report including malfunctioning road infrastructure,MER system may report the malfunctioning infrastructure to a third-party. Similarly, if an unsafe traffic environment is defined as a traffic condition and is reported, the MER system may report the unsafe traffic environment to a third-party entity. The MER system also may send a received traffic condition report to a third.

Other features and advantages of the invention may be more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following details description and by reference to the appended drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 A illustrates use of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure IB illustrates a device with application software as may be used in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a use of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3A is a flow diagram as may be followed by a device running the application software of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3B is a flow diagram as may be followed by a system operating with the application software of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 4 is a diagram of a vehicle as may be used with an exemplary embodiment of the invention

Figure 5 is an example of use of an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 illustrates operation of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 shows a diagram of elements of a wireless device including application software and a diagram of the system operating with the application software in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 8 is a diagram relating to the system interacting with the application software in a device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is described herein with reference to exemplary embodiments, alternative embodiments, attached drawings, and other accompanying materials. The invention, however, may be embodied in many different forms, carried out in a variety of ways, and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments and other materials set forth herein or accompanying herewith. The embodiments that are described and shown herein are only a few examples of ways to implement the invention There may be other ways. The subject matter herein is described as "the invention," but the subject matter may include one or more inventions.

Herein, in terms of nomenclature, the singular includes the plural, the masculine includes the feminine or neutral, and a person includes a partnership, association, company and/or corporation (and/or the like). An embodiment, in whole or in part, may be an apparatus, a device, a kit, a method, and/or a system (and/or the like), unless otherwise noted. Moreover, like numerals indicate like elements throughout the figures.

Certain terminology may be used in the following description for convenience only and is not to be considered as limiting. A person making use of the invention may be referred to herein as a "user", "device owner", "driver," "member," or "individual." The invention may involve the installation of software on a device of an individual. Such software may be embodied in application to be considered as limiting. A person making use of the invention may be referred to herein as a "user", "device owner", "driver," "member," or "individual." The invention may involve the installation of software on a device of an individual. Such software may be embodied in application software and may be referred to herein as an "application," "app" or "application software" A device may be a mobile unit such as mobile or cellular telephone. Also, a device may be a "wireless device," but not necessarily so. A device also may be a "smart" device with computer processing means and wireless communication means and may be a laptop or notebook computer. Embodiments of the invention may be used by a user operating a "vehicle", which may include any type of moving device including, but not limited to an automobile, a bus, a bicycle, a sport utility vehicle, a skateboard, a scooter, a van, a truck, a motorcycle, a boat, an ambulance, a fire engine, or the like. Embodiments of the invention may be used by a user who locates the device having the application software in an observation place. For example, a user may place his or her device on top of a fence post to scan traffic as it passes. The terminology may include the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

Elnless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, constructs and materials are now described. All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Where there are discrepancies in terms and definitions used in references that are incorporated by reference, the terms used in this application shall have the definitions given herein.

Generally stated, see Figures 1A and IB, the invention may be physically embodied in two major elements: (1) application software 11 that may be installed on a user's device 10 for selectively detecting one or more traffic conditions in a user’s environment, processing the information gained from the detection, and compiling one or more reports based on the processed information; and (2) a system 16 that through communication with the application software receives reports of information relating to the one or more traffic conditions and may further process the reports of information.

The system 16 may communicate with the device operating the application software 11 wirelessly or in other modes in part or totally. The system 16 may aggregate the reports of information especially when all of the reports relate to the same traffic condition. The system 16 may take action on the reports of information. Among the actions that may be taken by the system 16 is to communicate with the application software 11 on the user's device 10. For example, the MER system 16 may send one or more instructions to the application software 11 on the user's device 10. An instruction may relate to the report(s) received by the MER system 16 from the application software 11 on the user's device 10, and/or an instruction may be unrelated to such a report(s) such as in the case of an instruction including an update for the application software 11. The update may change, in whole or in part, a ruleset used by the application software 11. The system 16 also or in the alternative may communicate with a third party such as a government entity charged with traffic management or an individual committing a traffic violation.

The system 16 is referred to herein as a monitoring, enforcement, and reward (MER) system 16. The MER system 16 may execute tasks based on the reports of information received from the application software 11 installed on user's device 10. In embodiments of the invention, the MER system 16 may execute tasks based on reports of information received from application software installed in more than one user's device. The tasks executed by the MER system 16 may relate to the user(s) using the application software 11 on his or her device 10 such as paying the user or otherwise crediting the user with respect to the use of the application software 11 on his or her device 10. The tasks executed by the MER system 16 also may relate to other drivers on the road, or other entities such as governments, businesses, etc. as is explained below.

The MER system 16 may be a stand alone system operating in a single location, or may be distributed in one or more locations. Alternatively, the MER system 16 may operate with or be a part of another system(s) with which the MER system 16 may be in communication and/or cooperation.

As an example of an embodiment of the invention, assume a local authonty declares a particular area as "congested" during specific times of a weekday such as rush hours. A driver driving through the congested area during the specific times may be charged a congestion fee by the local authority. To implement this manner of congestion minimization, the local authority may make use of an embodiment of the invention. The local authority may allow and/or encourage drivers in the area to download application software 11 according to the invention to their respective devices such as wireless devices including mobile units, mobile phones, cell phones, dashboard cameras, in-car computer systems, etc. As shown in Figure 1A, a driver may mount his or her device with the wireless devices including mobile units, mobile phones, cell phones, dashboard cameras, in-car computer systems, etc. As shown in Figure 1A, a driver may mount his or her device with the application software 11 on the dashboard 12 of his or her vehicle 14. Other embodiments may include mounting to other parts of the vehicle such as the windshield, rear view mirror, etc. Some wireless devices (such as m-car computer systems) may be fixed and not require the driver to mount them. Some vehicles may have in-car computer systems and the application software 11 may be downloaded to such in-car systems. The application software 11 may interface with the functions of the user's device 10 and/or the user's vehicle 14. Particularly, the application software 11 may interface with the user's device 10 and/or vehicle 14 to cause the user's device 10 and/or vehicle 14 to scan at least part of the environment within which the user's device 10 and/or vehicle 14 is operating, and particularly, to scan for one or more traffic conditions as may be defined by the application software 11. Advantageously, a user may turn on an embodiment of the invention to continuously scan at least while the user is operating his or her vehicle or has other provided for continuous scanning by the environment, to turn off operation of the embodiment, or to cause the embodiment to operate only at certain times such as when the user's vehicle is temporarily stopped such as at a traffic light or in a traffic jam. Other embodiments may provide a user with additional options regarding start, stop operations.

The traffic condition information from the scan may be processed on the device, according to a local ruleset or otherwise, which may identify one or a variety of traffic conditions that may induce a report. A traffic condition may be of a variety of types. For example, a type of traffic condition may be traffic control issue. A non-working traffic light or a knocked-over stop sign may be a traffic control issue. Other traffic control issues may include malfunctioning infrastructure or an unsafe traffic environmen,

Other situations may present other types of traffic conditions. Another type of traffic condition may be public safety issue. A vehicle exceeding the speed limit or driving dangerously may be a public safety issue. Yet another type of traffic condition may relate to traffic congestion control. A vehicle in a congestion zone at a specific time may be a traffic congestion control condition A further type of traffic condition may be an environmental issue such as the weather, flooding, fire, etc. Other types of traffic conditions are possible.

To return to the example, the information from the scan may be communicated or reported via the user's device 10 to the aforementioned MER system 16. It may process the scanned information according to predetermined rales.

To further the example begun above, assume the scan information reveals a license plate number 19 of a vehicle 18 present in a congested area during rush hour. Figure 2 shows the user's device 10 with the application software 11 mounted on the dashboard 12 of the user's vehicle 14. The device 10 scans the vehicle 18 in front of the vehicle 14, and in such scanning, the license plate number 19 of the vehicle 18 is captured. In this example, the person driving the vehicle 18 is driving in a congested area during rash hour. The scanning by the application software 11 through the device 10 of the vehicle 18 processes this information, according to its ruleset or otherwise, and generates a report. The application software 11 through the device 10 may report the traffic condition to the MER system 16. Specifically, the report of the traffic condition may include the license plate number 19 of the vehicle 18, the time of day, the date, photographic/video evidence, and the geographical location as well as information related to the reporting device 10. The person associated with the license plate number 19 may be charged a congestion tax for his or her travel in the congested area during rush hour. The MER system 16 may send the person charged with the congestion tax an invoice. Advantageously according to an embodiment of the invention, the person may be able to pay the invoice through interaction with the MER system 16. In addition, the MER system 16 may send a payment to the driver whose application software 11 through the device 10 scanned the license plate 19 of the vehicle 18 present in the congested area during rash hour. The payment may be a reward such as monetary payment. The reward may be a percentage of the congestion tax to be paid by the violator. By this payment, the driver who downloaded the application software 11 of the invention onto his or her device 10 may be incentivized to keep the application software 11 on his or her device 10, to keep it updated, and to make use of the application software 11 on his or her device 10 when operating his or her vehicle 14.

More specifically, and advantageously, the invention may be used with a personal communication device 10 of a user. The invention may provide application software 11 for download by a user to his or her device 10. As noted above, such a device 10 may typically include a mobile phone, cellular phone, or a like device. Some embodiments of the invention are intended for use in association with a vehicle 14 associated with the user. For examnle. the user's device 10 mav be by a user to his or her device 10. As noted above, sucn a device 10 may typically include a mobile phone, cellular phone, or a like device Some embodiments of the invention are intended for use in association with a vehicle 14 associated with the user. For example, the user's device 10 may be installed on the dashboard 12 of the vehicle. The application software 11 on the device 10 may be in communication (such as wireless communication) with the MER system 16. Through wireless communication with the application software 11 on the device 10, the MER system 16 may receive a report of information from the application software 11 relating to the detected traffic conditions. The MER system 16 may process the information. The MER system 16 may respond to the report received by executing a task which may include sending an instruction to the application software 11 on the device 10. For example, the MER system 16 may instruct the application software 11 on the device 10. The instruction may be communicated (such as by wireless communication) by the MER system 16 to the application software on the device 10. The instruction by the MER system 16 may relate to the user using the application software 11 on his or her device 10 in providing the detected element to the MER system 16. An exemplary instruction from the MER system 16 may be to pay the user or otherwise credit the user with respect to the use of the application software 11 on his or her device 10. Other embodiments of the invention may operate in a device of a user such as a laptop or tablet equipped with the application software 11 The user may place the laptop or table in a location from which it may scan at least part of its environment for one or more traffic conditions, and interact with the MER system 16 as explained above.

Figures 3A and 3B are now described with respect to the operation of an exemplary embodiment of the invention as generally explained in the paragraphs immediately above. Figure 3 A is a flow diagram relating to operation of the wireless device 10 and application software 11 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention After start action 20, the application software 11 is downloaded and installed onto the wireless device 10 in action 21. The application software 11 may be obtained by a user or provided to a user in any manner of ways. For example, the application software 11 may be made available online at the App Store for IOS devices and the Play Store from Google for other devices.

Still referring to Figure 3A, in action 22, the application software 11 measures one or more traffic conditions in the local area of the device 10. . In action 23, the application software 11 processes the measured information according to a local ruleset. Some of the rules may produce reports depending on the information processed If no report is generated, the application software 11 continues to measure and process local traffic conditions. If a report is generated, then in action 25 the application software 11 sends the report to the MER system 16. Note, more than one report may be generated and sent to the MER system 16. The application software 11 in action 26 determines whether an instruction has been received from the MER system 16. If not, then the application software 11 continues to measure and process local traffic conditions in actions 22 and 23. If an instruction has been received from the MER system 16, then in action 27, the application software 11 carries out the instruction. The application software 11 may continue to measure and process one or more local traffic conditions as set out in actions 22 and 23 even while sending one or more reports to the MER system in action 25 and determining whether instructions received in action 26.

Figure 3B is a flow diagram relating to the operation of the MER system 16 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. After start action 30, the MER system 16 in action 32 monitors for receipt of one or more reports (also referred to as information (info)) from the application software 11 of a wireless device 10. If no reports are received, the MER system 16 continues to monitor for such a report. If a set of one or more reports is received within a timeframe, then in action 34, the MER system 16 processes the received reports in aggregate. In action 36, based on the processing of the received reports, the MER system 16 generates a task or a set of tasks. These tasks may include sending of instructions to an application software 11, sending a congestion zone charge invoice to a detected driver, or any other tasks. If no tasks are generated, the MER system 16 continues to monitor for receipt of reports in action 32. If one or a set of tasks is generated, the MER system 16 executes the tasks in action 38

Another advantage of an exemplary embodiment of the invention is that it may selectively work with sensors that are present in a vehicle. Many vehicles include a variety of sensors. For example, a vehicle such as the vehicle 14 referenced herein may include the following sensors as shown in Figure 4: radar sensors 40, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors 42, ultrasonic sensors 44, proximity sensors 46, rain sensors 48, image sensors 50, parking sensors 52, backup sensors 54, and/or reverse sensors. MZ Motor 2020, 15 Types of Automotive Sensors Your Vehicle is Likely to Have,https://mzwmotor.com/automotive-sensor-types/ (accessed June 25, 2021), which is incorporated herein by reference Also, a vehicle such as the vehicle 14 may be equipped with a Likely to Have , https://mzwmotor.com/automotive-sensor-types/ (accessed June 25, 2021), which is incorporated herein by reference. Also, a vehicle such as the vehicle 14 may be equipped with a dashboard camera 56 and/or other camera. Autocam Video Telematics, What Is a Dashcam? https://autocamair.com/what-is-a-dashcam/ (accessed June 25, 2021), which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, a vehicle such as the vehicle 14 may be provided with an automated license plate reader (ALPR) 58 such as police cars use. Electronic Frontier Foundation, Street-Level Surveillance, https://www.eff.org/pages/automated-license-plate-readers-alpr (accessed June 25, 2021), which is incorporated herein by reference.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention through the application software 11 on the user's device 10 may make use of or may be made to operate with one or more sensors present in the vehicle 14 to obtain information about a traffic condition as is explained in further detail below.

As noted, an exemplary embodiment of the invention may provide application software 11 for download by a user to his or her device 10. With the application software 11 installed on his or her device 10 and the device 10 mounted on the dashboard 12 of his or her vehicle 14 (or otherwise positioned), the user may make use of an exemplary embodiment of the invention to cause the user's device 10 and/or vehicle 14 to scan the environment associated with the user's vehicle 14. In an embodiment of the invention, the user may have the option of turning the application software 11 on or off on his or her device 10. In another embodiment of the invention, the application software 11 installed on a user' s device 10 may automatically activate upon powerup of the user's device 10 and/or upon power up of the user's vehicle 14.

In the paragraph above, the device 10 with the application software 11 is mounted on the dashboard 12 of the user’s vehicle 14 to scan the environment associated with the user's vehicle 14.

Other embodiments may have the device 10 with the application software 11 installed in other locations than the dashboard 12. Alternatively, an exemplary embodiment may allow a user to choose the location of installation of the device 10 with the application software 11 with respect to the user’s vehicle 14 or other location.

Also as noted, once activated, the application software 11 downloaded on the user's device 10 may cause the user's device 10 and/or one or more sensors of the vehicle 14 to scan the environment associated with the user's vehicle 14. The scan may be carried out using sensors of the user's vehicle 14 that are made to operate with the application software 11 of an exemplary embodiment of the invention Embodiments of the invention may allow for user control over the timing of the scanning. For example, a user may select continuous scanning, intermittent scanning, or scanning only during certain times periods or for a limited period of time.

Another exemplary embodiment of the invention may allow the user to download and/or install the application software 11 directly to the user’s vehicle 14 or one of its subsystems In this embodiment the application software 11 may use some or all of the vehicle’s 14 capabilities including its sensors, CPU, memory, wireless modems, etc. to perform some or all of its actions.

Another exemplary embodiment of the invention may allow the user to install the application software 11 to a device which lacks wireless connectivity. In this embodiment, the application software 11 may continue to scan for a traffic condition and generate reports but may store the generated reports in a buffer m memory. These stored reports may be kept until a later time when the device gams connectivity (wired, wireless or otherwise) and may then transmit the reports to the MER service 16.

Another exemplary embodiment of the invention may allow the user to operate the application software 11 on his or her wireless device 10 mounted or placed on a stationary structure or location such that its sensors have a view of the local traffic conditions. The wireless device may even be held in the user’s hand or on his or her body or clothing. In this embodiment, the application software 11 would run be static, scanning the traffic conditions local to its fixed location.

Advantageously, embodiments of the invention may allow a user to make specific directives with respect to the scanning of the environment associated with the user's vehicle 14. For example, a user may make use of an embodiment of the invention by accessing the application software 11 on his or her device 10 while in his or her vehicle 14 to enable or disable one or more rules in the ruleset to use when processing traffic condition information. For example, the user may use the application software 11 to process rules for one or more traffic conditions such as with respect to other vehicles, objects and/or features present in the user's environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the user may be able to vary the scope or size of the scan carried out. As noted previously, Figure 2 shows that a user's device 10 equipped with the application software 11 mounted on the dashboard of his or her vehicle 14 may scan the back of a vehicle 18 immediately in front of the user.

Figure 5, on the other hand, shows a user's device 10 equipped with the application software vehicle 14 may scan the back of a vehicle 18 immediately in front of the user.

Figure 5, on the other hand, shows a user's device 10 equipped with the application software 11 mounted in the user's vehicle 14 whose scan is wider than just the vehicle in front of him or her. In the example shown in Figure 5, the scan is wide enough to scan parts of three vehicles 62, 64, and 66.

As shown in Figure 5, the scan includes the backs, respectively, of two vehicles (each in its own lane) 62, 64 proceeding in the same direction as the driver's vehicle 14. One vehicle 64 is directly in front of the driver's vehicle 14, and the other vehicle 66 is in the lane adjacent and to the front right of the driver's vehicle 14. The third vehicle 66 picked up by the scan from the user’s vehicle 14 also is in front of the user’s vehicle 14 but is an oncoming vehicle 66 in the near opposing lane of travel to the user’s vehicle 14. In the case of the oncoming vehicle 66, the scan picks up the front part of the oncoming vehicle 66. Thus, the scan of the three vehicles 62, 64, 66 may create traffic condition information with respect to all three vehicles, which then may be processed, using the ruleset or otherwise, to generate zero or more reports.

The scanning of the driver's environment does not have to be limited to other vehicles. The driver may be able to select to scan for one or more traffic conditions in the environment in addition to or instead of another vehicle. Figure 6 is drawn from the perspective of the user's device 10 mounted on the dashboard 12 of the user's vehicle 14. The scanning according to an embodiment of the invention may be carried out with respect to what the mobile device 10 (operating with the application software 11 of the invention) "sees." Figure 6 illustrates that scanning may be carried out with respect to possible traffic conditions in the environment such as the local flora 70 (evergreen tree in Figure 6) and fauna (such as a deer jumping into the road) (not shown in Figure 6) Traffic signals 72 and/or traffic signs 74 also or instead may be picked up as possible traffic conditions in the scanning. Further, road markings 76 such as the center line dividing opposing traffic or lane markers may be scanned. Figure 6 also illustrates that the scanning may be carried out with respect to the weather in the environment (cloud 78 in Figure 6).

As noted, in an embodiment of the invention, information about a detected traffic condition may be compiled into a report and passed through the application software 11 and wireless communication means of the user's device 10 to a MER system 16. The MER system 16 may process or analyze the received reports in aggregate based on rules governing respectively different scenarios such as different traffic conditions The results of the analysis may cause the MER system 16 to execute tasks. The tasks also may vary depending on the different types of traffic conditions.

The selective detection caused by the application software 11 installed in the user's device 10 may include, inter alia:

• Detecting other vehicles on the road

• Detecting properties of the vehicles on the road (type, make, model, year, license plate number, license plate design, color, wheel trim, customizations, etc.)

• Detecting properties of the location/speed/direction of the vehicles

• Detecting the number of occupants of the vehicles

• Detecting the presence of certain indicators/labels on the vehicles (HOV lane decals, car registration year sticker, disabled driver decal, etc.)

• Detecting issues with the vehicles (broken turn signal lights, brake lights, head lights, fog lights, etc.)

• Detecting environmental context (traffic light state, pedestrians, cyclists, time of day, weather, congestion, etc.)

• Detecting abnormal situations (object in road, car collisions, broken down cars, etc )

• Detecting road properties (road paint visual clarity, potholes, etc.)

• Other information

Environmental sensor data ("environmental data") that is detected as a traffic condition at the direction of the application software 11 in conjunction with the user's mobile device 10 may be wirelessly communicated to the MER system 16 of the invention as part of a report. The MER system 16 may be configured with one or more rules to apply upon receipt of the data. The MER system 16 may transmit communications based on the data and application of the rules to respective person(s), authorities and entities. Examples follow.

If a vehicle is detected on the road within a congestion zone, at a time when the congestion zone is active, then a detection report may be sent to the MER system 16 for further processing, determination of amount owed, payment, etc. Alternatively, instead of the MER system 16 of the zone is active, then a detection report may be sent to the MER system 16 for further processing, determination of amount owed, payment, etc. Alternatively, instead of the MER system 16 of the invention, an embodiment of the invention may transmit the detection information to an authority such as a congestion zone management service. The MER system 16 of the invention or the congestion zone management service then may collate the detections per vehicle, determine the fee to be paid per vehicle, send a notice to the person associated with the detected vehicle requiring payment of the fee, and collect the fee from the person.

If a vehicle is detected on the road, and its license plate number and location match an AMBER alert, then a detection report may be sent to law enforcement, the MER system 16, and/or a designated authority.

If a vehicle is detected going against road traffic rules (such as speeding, driving in the wrong direction, running a red light, running a stop sign, etc ), then a detection report may be sent to law enforcement, the MER system 16, and/or a designated authority.

If a dangerous situation/event is detected (object in road, collision, broken down car) then a detection report may be sent to the emergency services, law enforcement, the MER system 16 , and/or a designated authority.

If a defect in the road is detected, then a detection report may be sent to emergency services, law enforcement, the MER system 16, and/or a designated authority.

If a defect in a vehicle is detected, such as a broken light, then a detection report may be sent to the vehicle owner, law enforcement, and/or designated authority.

Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of the invention featuring the elements associated including the wireless device 10 as it communicates with the MER system 16. The wireless device 10 in this example includes the user's device 10 and may include sensors and other features of the vehicle in which the embodiment is being used Thus, the sensors including the camera(s), motion sensors, GPS sensor, and other sensors may collect environmental data through scanning and/or otherwise.

Continuing with Figure 7, the environmental data, in this embodiment, is passed on to the measurement module in the application software 11 In this embodiment, the measurement module may process the raw environmental sensor data to measure the local traffic conditions. The measurement module 11 may review the environmental data looking for license plate data. The measurement module 11 transmits the results of its measurement to the rule processing module, which may apply a rule set to the results received from the measurement module. For example, the rule set may specify that license plate data received during a selected period of time (such as rush hours on weekdays) is to be culled for compilation into a report for further transmission The rule processing module may review the results received from the measurement module and apply the rules regarding the selected period of time. If the processing of the rules finds relevant data, it may generate a report to be transmitted to the MER service 16. In an alternate embodiment, the wireless device does not carry out any review or culling of environmental sensor data but leaves that to the MER system. Other embodiments may vary between no review or culling to partial review or culling. These alternative embodiments may or may not be achieved through design of the rules in the ruleset.

Still referring to Figure 7, the wireless device may operate in conjunction with the central processing unit (CPU) of the driver's device (and/or another CPU). In this embodiment, the environmental sensor data may be stored in the memory of the wireless device 10 (and/or another memory). Other embodiments may vary with respect to memory, and other elements of the wireless device.

As shown in Figure 7, the communication between the application software 11 and the MER service 16 is one way from the application software 11 to the MER service 16. However, other embodiments may provide for two-way or more communication.

As noted, the wireless device 10 may analyze the environmental sensor data to find relevant data and transmit the relevant data in a report to the MER service. It may receive the relevant data at the MER service detection report processor and process the reports in aggregate according to process rules. Information about the relevant data and the relevant data as analyzed according to the process rules may be included in the MER database. Other embodiments may vary.

In the detection processing service as illustrated in Figure 7, the detection report processor may carry out other actions with respect to the information (relevant data) that the detection report processor receives. For example, assume the detection report processor receives a report containing a license plate number that was scanned by the user's device during weekday rush hours in a designated congestion area that imnoses a tax for traveling through that area. The detection report processor mav processor receives. For example, assume the detection report processor receives a report containing a license plate number that was scanned by the user's device during weekday rush hours in a designated congestion area that imposes a tax for traveling through that area. The detection report processor may generate a task to find the person associated with the license plate including email/correspondence information. The detection report processor may send the task to the task execution module on the MER service 16. The task execution module may execute the task and send the person an invoice for payment of the tax and may supply information on how to pay the tax. Other tasks with respect to the scanned license plate may be executed by the task execution module.

Figure 8 provides further details about actions that may be carried out by the detection processor. It may include multiple detectors (labeled 1, 2 ... N in Figure 8) that may buffer relevant data received from the device and/or other detector devices having the application software. For example, a particular vehicle traveling in a congested area during rush hours on a weekday may be detected by more than one user of an embodiment of the invention. The relevant data as to the particular vehicle received from the detector device may be buffered into a detector in the detection processor. Rules may be applied to the buffered relevant data by periodic processing carried out by the detection processor to determine a congestion tax for the particular vehicle. For example, the particular vehicle may have been scanned by more than one user of an embodiment of the invention, but only during the same rush hour period on a weekday. The periodic processing may note the multiple detection reports, but also note that the scans all occurred during the same rush hour period on a weekday, and so only charge the particular vehicle one congestion tax In another embodiment, the processing service may process the multiple detection reports, estimate the distance traveled by the particular vehicle on that day, and charge a congestion tax based on this distance. Other embodiments may vary.

Advantageously, embodiments of the invention may be used to reduce traffic congestion Assume for example, an urban area suffers from traffic congestion in a particular geographic area during afternoon rush hours from 4 - 6 pm on weekdays. The leaders of the urban area wish to reduce the traffic congestion during that time. The leaders may impose a "tax" on a person associated with a vehicle, which is determined to be in the particular geographic area at the relevant time. The invention described herein may be used to determine that one or more vehicles are located in the particular geographic area during the relevant time. A user of the invention may configure the application software on his or her device to detect information about vehicles that are "seen" by the device in the particular geographic area during the relevant time. The detected information may be forwarded to the MER system of the invention for processing according to one or more rules. The MER system may be configured to determine the "tax" to be paid by the person associated with the vehicle that was detected by the invention as being in the particular geographic area during the relevant time. The MER system also may be configured to accept payment for the tax from the person associated with the vehicle. By having to pay a "tax" to travel in the particular geographic area during certain times, a person may decide to avoid the tax by not driving through the particular geographic area, thereby reducing traffic congestion.

In order to incentivize the use of the invention to reduce traffic congestion per the example in the paragraph immediately above, a portion of the tax collected by the MER system of the invention may be paid to the user associated with the detection of the vehicle in the particular geographic area during the relevant time. For example, if a person pays a $10 congestion tax, which was the result of a detection by a user of the invention, then the user may be paid a portion of that congestion tax - maybe $0.20.

The reader may note that to detect another vehicle in a taxed congested area during the relevant time, the user of the invention may need to be present in that taxed congested area at the same time and be subject to the same congestion tax. However, to encourage use of the invention in detecting other vehicles in the taxed congested area at the relevant time, the user of the invention may be charged less of a congestion tax or omit having to pay the tax altogether.

Another example is that government entities, such as Departments of Transportation, may reduce costs if such entities would be provided automatic road defect reports through embodiments of the invention rather than having to pay employees to survey the state of their roads. So, such government entities may be be willing to use embodiments of the invention.

Another exemplary embodiment of the invention may allow the local authority to modify the rulesets used by the application software 11 and MER system 16 in order to make changes to a congestion zone’s boundaries, operating hours, tax rate, or other properties dynamically. This embodiment would allow for low-cost iterative improvement of the congestion zone that would not be possible with traditional solutions such as fixed ALPR camera sites.

Using third party devices to run the application software of the invention, along with offering be possible with traditional solutions such as fixed ALPR camera sites.

Using third party devices to run the application software of the invention, along with offering financial rewards for operating the application software, means there would be an incentive to cheat the system. To combat this, certain validation and verification measures may need to be applied, such as:

• Using computing capabilities of the user's device (e.g. ARM TrustZone, Intel SGX, Apple

Secure Enclave, etc.) along with techniques such as remote attestation. This would give confidence that the device was running the application software unmodified.

• ARM TrustZone Technology, https://developer.arm.com/ip-products/security-ip/trustzone, which is incorporated herein by reference

• Intel SGX Intel Software Guard Extensions https://www.intel.com/contenUwww/us/en/architecture-andtechnology/software-guard- extensions.html , which is incorporated herein by reference.

• Apple Secure Enclave, https://support.apple.com/guide/security/secure-enclave- overview sec59b0b31ff/web, which is incorporated herein by reference.

• Using active detection mechanisms such as anti-virus, jailbreak detection, system fingerprinting, etc. to detect unwanted modification of the application software and underlying operating system/hardware.

• Using modem cryptography such as TLS (Transport Layer Technology) to ensure that the the exchange of data from application software on the users' devices and the MER system is protected. This would ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the communication was preserved. Please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport Layer Security, which is incorporated herein by reference.

• Using statistical techniques to detect evidence of sensor data forgery, such as analyzing the distribution of noise in the data or correlating the data from multiple sensors together. An example of this is comparing the motion sensor data to the camera data and seeing if they agree on the motion of the device/vehicle. Another example is to use the time of day and analyzing the shadows in the image to see whether they are as expected.

• Using the network of users to monitor each other. If a user submits a detection report for a given location, and there is another operator in the same location, comparison can be made with respect to the data from the two operators to see if the data agrees

• Investigating any evidence of cheating and following up with remedial action and seeking recourse through law enforcement.

13

In order to operate effectively, embodiments of the invention may need to be configured correctly. Some examples of bad configuration may include:

• The user's device is mounted in a non-optimal position/angle and does not capture the environment well.

• There are objects obscuring the sensor's field of view

• There is dirt on the sensors, or on a transparent surface between the sensor and the environment

(e g. a dirty windshield).

Software components using techniques such as machine learning, signal processing, and others may be able to detect these situations and alert the user accordingly. The user may then follow up with remedial actions.

There may be certain situations where a single detection or scan by a user's device is not enough to take an action based on that detection or scan. For example, only multiple detections or scans may be required for an embodiment of the invention to take action. To further the example, if the embodiment of the invention is to detect a vehicle overstaying the allowed duration for a parking spot, a first detection of the vehicle in the parking spot is necessary to determine the latest possible time of arrival, and a last detection to determine the earliest possible time of departure. A coordination system may be used to gather certain types of detections and merge them into larger multi-detection reports. Similar to single-detection reports, multi-detection reports may be processed using a rule set and appropriate actions may be carried out by an embodiment of the invention multi-detection reports. Similar to single-detection reports, multi-detection reports may be processed using a rule set and appropriate actions may be carried out by an embodiment of the invention.

There may be various laws and regulations governing the collection of data in certain scenarios. For example, a company may have a strict no photography policy covering its parking lot. In this case, a user of an embodiment of the invention may have to disable the application software on his or her device before driving into the company's parking lot. In order to assist the user, the application software in an embodiment of the invention may be configured so that it automatically shuts off, and/or alerts the user, when the user enters an area where collection of data is not allowed. The application software may be built using many techniques, including having a rule set applied to a map/database of public and private locations, analyzing the video data and detecting signage indicating that photography is not allowed, etc.

CONCLUSION

The invention is described herein at least in sufficient detail for a person skilled in the art to make or use the invention without undue expenmentation. The invention is described by reference to exemplary embodiments including apparatus, application software, systems, and methods. The invention, however, should not be limited to the embodiments described herein, but also may cover other embodiments not specifically described or shown herein that may be implemented in accordance with the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS I claim:

1. A method for gaining participation by individuals of an area to monitor for a traffic condition in the area by rewarding reports of the traffic condition by the indi viduals, comprising: making application software available for download to a device of an individual, the application software being operative with the device to measure a traffic condition, to process the measured traffic condition according to a ruleset that generates a traffic condition report, and to send the traffic condition report to a monitoring, enforcement, and reward (MER) system; causing the MER system to receive the traffic condition report from the device; and in response to receipt of the traffic condition report, causing the MER system to send a reward to the individual associated with the device

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the traffic condition comprises a vehicle

3. The method of Claim 2, further comprising: causing the MER system to obtain identification information about an owner of the vehicle, and causing the MER system to send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein the vehicle comprises the vehicle in a congestion zone during operating hours of the congestion zone.

5. The method of Claim 2, wherein the device comprises a first device and the traffic condition report comprises a first traffic condition report about the vehicle; and further comprising: upon the MER system receiving the first traffic condition report from the first device, causing the MER system to store the first traffic condition report m memory; causing the MER system to receive a second traffic condition report about the vehicle from a second device; causing the MER system to store the second traffic condition report m the memory; causing the MER system to aggregate the first traffic condition report and the second traffic condition report in the memory as aggregated traffic condition reports; and causing the MER system to process the aggregated traffic condition reports.

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein processing the aggregated traffic condition reports comprises calculating a distance between location of the vehicle in the first traffic condition report and location of the vehicle in the second traffic condition report

6. The method of Claim 5, wnerein processing tne aggregated traffic condition reports comprises calculating a distance between location of the vehicle in the first traffic condition report and location of the vehicle in the second traffic condition report.

7. The method of Claim 6, further comprising: causing the MER system to obtain identification information about an owner of the vehicle; and causing the MER system to send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle for an amount owed based on the calculated distance,

8. The method of Claim 5, wherein the vehicle is first measured in a parking space at a first time as reported in the first traffic condition report, wherein the vehicle is next measured in the parking space at a second time as reported in the second traffic condition report, and wherein processing of the aggregated traffic condition reports comprises calculating a duration of time spent by the vehicle in the parking space between the first time and the second time.

9. The method of Claim 8, further comprising: causing the MER system to obtain identification information about an owner of the vehicle; and causing the MER system to send an invoice to the owner of the vehicle for an amount owed for parking based on the calculated duration of time.

10. The method of Claim 8, further comprising: causing the MER system to evaluate whether the vehicle committed a parking violation; and upon determining the parking violation had occurred, causing the MER system to send an invoice to an owner of the vehicle for an amount owed based on the parking violation.

11. The method of Claim 1, wherein the traffic condition comprises the vehicle committing a traffi c violation.

12. The method of Claim 11, further comprising: causing the MER system to send a fine to an owner of the vehicle committing the traffic violation.

13. The method of Claim 5, wherein processing the aggregated traffic condition reports comprises determining whether the vehicle exceeded a legal speed limit between time of first measurement of the vehicle as reported in the first traffic condition report and time of the second measurement of the vehicle as reported in the second traffic report.

14. The method of Claim 13, further comprising: upon determining the vehicle exceeded the legal speed limit, causing the MER system to send a fine to an owner of the vehicle.

15. The method of Claim 1, wherein the traffic condition comprises a vehicle committing a parking violation.

16. The method of Claim 5, wherein processing of the aggregated traffic condition reports comprises determining a path of the vehicle between the first traffic condition report and the second traffi c report.

17. The method of Claim 16, further comprising: causing the MER system to determine whether the path of the vehicle passed through a congestion zone during operating hours of the congestion zone; and upon finding that the vehicle passed through the congestion zone, causing the MER system to send an invoice to an owner of the vehicle.

18. The method of Claim 1, wherein the traffic condition comprises malfunctioning road infrastructure; and upon receiving the traffic condition report, causing the MER system to report the infrastructure; and upon receiving the traffic condition report, causing the MER system to report the malfunctioning infrastructure to a third-party.

19 The method of Claim 1 wherein the traffic condition comprises an unsafe traffic environment; and further comprising: upon receiving the traffic condition report, the MER system reports the unsafe traffic environment to a third-party entity'

20. The method of Claim 1, further comprising: upon receiving the traffic condition report, the MER system sends the report to a third party.