# US 10,772,068 B1 · Estimation of mobile device count > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,772,068 B1 - Document ID: US10772068B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/417,055 - Filed: 2019-05-20 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-20 - Assignees: HERE Global B.V. - Applicants: HERE Global B.V. - Inventors: Xiang Liu; Friedrich Hartmann; Christian Stade-Schuldt; Philo Pöllmann; Mohamed Ahmed - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10772068B1 ## CPC - H04L 67/146: Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding - H04W 64/003: {locating network equipment} - G01S 19/51: Relative positioning - G08G 1/012: {from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks} - G08G 1/0129: {for creating historical data or processing based on historical data} - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P] - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A method, system, and apparatus for estimation of a number of mobile devices include receiving one or more probe data points including a location, a session identifier, and a timestamp, constructing a trajectory including the one or more probe data points having a same session identifier, calculating a trajectory duration for the trajectory based on the timestamps of the one or more probe data points, calculating a normalized trajectory from the trajectory duration and a predetermined observation duration, and estimating the number of mobile devices from at least the normalized trajectory. A path of the trajectory is based on the location of the one or more probe data points. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for estimation of a count of a plurality of mobile devices, the method comprising: receiving, by a processor, one or more probe data points including a location, a session identifier, and a timestamp, wherein the one or more probe data points are generated by the plurality of mobile devices within an observation area and during an observation duration; constructing, by the processor, a trajectory including the one or more probe data points having a same session identifier and generated by one mobile device of the plurality of the mobile devices, wherein a path of the trajectory is based on the location of the one or more probe data points; calculating, by the processor, a trajectory duration for the trajectory based on timestamps of the one or more probe data points having the same session identifier; calculating, by the processor, a normalized trajectory from the trajectory duration and a predetermined observation duration; and estimating, by the processor, the count of the plurality of mobile devices including at least the normalized trajectory of the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, the count reflecting that the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is counted as a single mobile device that generated the same session identifier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: ordering, by the processor, the one or more probe data points sequentially based on the timestamp of the one or more probe data points, wherein the trajectory includes the probe data points in sequential order. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying, by the processor, a boundary between a first observation area and second observation area crossed by the trajectory; and expanding, by the processor, the path of the trajectory by a radius, where a result of the expanding is a trajectory area. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: dividing, by the processor, an area of a first portion of the trajectory area located in the first observation area by an area of the first observation area, where a result of the first dividing is a first normalized trajectory area; and dividing, by the processor, an area of a second portion of the trajectory area located in the second observation area by an area of the second observation area, where a result of the second dividing is a second normalized trajectory area. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: estimating, by the processor, a number of mobile devices in the first observation area from at least the first normalized trajectory area; and estimating, by the processor, a number of mobile devices in the second observation area from at least the second normalized trajectory area. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the radius is based on a horizontal accuracy of a global positioning signal of the probe data points. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the processor, a traffic estimate or an autonomous navigation instruction based on the count. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the probe data points are generated by the mobile devices, and wherein the mobile devices generate the probe data points at different rates. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile devices update the session identifier at different rates. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the location includes global positioning coordinates. ### Claim 11 An apparatus for estimating a count of a plurality of mobile devices, the apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to receive one or more probe data points including a location, a session identifier, and a timestamp, wherein the one or more probe data points are generated by the plurality of mobile devices within an observation area and during an observation duration; a probe data aggregator configured to construct a trajectory including the one or more probe data points having a same session identifier and generated by one mobile device of the plurality of the mobile devices, wherein a path of the trajectory is based on the location of the one or more probe data points; a trajectory normalizer configured to calculate a trajectory duration for the trajectory based on timestamps of the one or more probe data points having the same session identifier and calculate a normalized trajectory from the trajectory duration and a predetermined observation duration; and a mobile device counter configured to estimate the count of the plurality of mobile devices including at least the normalized trajectory of the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, the count reflecting that the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is counted as a single mobile device that generated the same session identifier. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the probe data aggregator is configured to order the one or more data points sequentially based on the timestamps, wherein the trajectory includes the probe data points in sequential order. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: a spatial analyzer configured to identify a boundary between a first observation area and second observation area crossed by the trajectory and expand the path of the trajectory by a radius, where a result of the expanding is a trajectory area. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the spatial analyzer is configured to divide an area of a first portion of the trajectory area located in the first observation area by an area of the first observation area, where a result of the first dividing is a first normalized trajectory area and divide an area of a second portion of the trajectory area located in the second observation area by an area of the second observation area, where a result of the second dividing is a second normalized trajectory area. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the mobile device counter is configured to estimate a number of mobile devices in the first observation area from at least the first normalized trajectory area and estimate a number of mobile devices in the second observation area from at least the second normalized trajectory area. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the spatial analyzer is further configured to select the radius based on a horizontal accuracy of a global positioning signal of the probe data points. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: an application extension configured to determine a traffic estimate or an autonomous navigation instruction based on the number of mobile devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more mobile devices generate the probe data points at different rates. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more mobile devices update the session identifier at different rates. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, are operable to: receive one or more probe data points including a location, a session identifier, and a timestamp, wherein the one or more probe data points are generated by a plurality of mobile devices within an observation area and during an observation duration; construct a trajectory including the one or more probe data having a same session identifier and generated by one mobile device of the plurality of the mobile devices, wherein a path of the trajectory is based on the location of the one or more probe data points; calculate a trajectory duration based on timestamps of the one or more probe data points having the same session identifier included in the trajectory; calculate a normalized trajectory from division of each trajectory duration by a predetermined duration; and determine a count of the plurality of mobile devices for the predetermined duration based on a sum of the normalized trajectory, including at least the normalized trajectory of the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, the count reflecting that the one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices is counted as a single mobile device that generated the same session identifier.