Patent awarded to Apple could improve Apple Maps
Apple Maps might soon be able to give you a more accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA) figure. The app might even make sure that you are on the fastest route even after taking into account the time it will take you to get past traffic lights found on your path from point "A" to point "B." Apple has been awarded a patent for "Routing based on detected stops" which was awarded to the tech giant last month as patent US 121,111,171.
The gist of the patent is that Apple can use the information it generates at stop signs and traffic lights to help it create additional data that can improve navigation and give users more useful navigation options. That's because Apple can determine how traffic will move as it approaches a stop sign. While stop-and-go traffic is indicative of an approaching stop sign, increased distances of movement with traffic moving simultaneously is a sign that a traffic light is coming.
Apple Maps computes how long it will take drivers to get past a stop sign or a traffic light
The next step is for Apple Maps to figure out which routes have stop signs and which have traffic lights. Once that happens, Apple computes what it calls the stop duration threshold which is the average amount of time it takes for a car to get past a stop sign or a traffic light. You might know it as the moment when four-letter words start flowing out of your mouth freely.
By computing this information, Apple can determine if an alternate route will be faster after adding the stop sign or traffic light delay into the equation. Apple can also take traffic conditions collected from drivers in real time, add the stop sign and traffic light data along with weather conditions and other factors, and compute a more accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA).
What currently impacts ETA computations is the heavy traffic around stop signs and traffic lights, and the length of time it takes to get past them. This can change your ETA minute-by-minute and make it less accurate. Apple Maps has the tools to get around this and compute more accurate arrival times.
The patent also notes that Apple Maps will be able to determine if a traffic light is malfunctioning as movement patterns change to a pattern that is not normal. Traffic at a defective traffic light starts moving with the stop-and-go pattern usually seen at stop signs. The data can be used to direct Apple Maps users around a defective light; if there is not an alternative, a notification can be sent to drivers alerting them about an issue with an upcoming traffic light.
Apple isn't sitting back allowing Google Maps and Waze to come up with all of the new features
Apple Maps can collect data from stop signs and traffic lights based on patterns that take into account the time of the day and other factors. Like any patent, there is no guarantee that Apple will deploy this in a future version of Apple Maps. But it does show that the company isn't planning to sit back and let Google Maps and Waze come up with all of the innovations in this space.
While there has been talk about Apple working on a version of Apple Maps for Android, right now it is available only on Apple devices. Many iPhone users have both Apple Maps and Google Maps installed on their handsets and switch off between the two.
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