On-road facility fault information communication apparatus

• US 20020145539A1
• Filed: 01/28/2002
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute For Land and Infrastructure Management Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation
• Original Assignee: National Institute For Land and Infrastructure Management Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation
• Inventors: Tanaka, Morihiro, Nozaki, Keisaku, Kondou, Tetsuaki, Yumiba, Ryo, Takahashi, Kazunori, Nakagawa, Kazuyuki, Shima, Takeshi, Yamanashi, Takahiro, Nakajima, Norihiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,774,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

In an advanced-cruise-assist highway system, an AHS center facility, which is an upper facility for on-road facilities, periodically receives diagnostic information from the on-road facilities, and when it is determined that any on-road facility is in the faulty state, communicates the information that the on-road facility is in the faulty state to on-road facilities upstream from the faulty on-road facility, and the on-road facilities having received the information on the fault in the downstream on-road facility communicates the information that the downstream on-road facility is in the faulty state via a road-to-vehicle communication facility to AHS vehicles having the possibility of entering a zone under control by the faulty on-road facility. Further the information that the downstream on-road facility is in the faulty state is displayed on information board which can be recognize by vehicles having the possibility of entering a zone under control by the faulty on-road facility.

Claims

1. An on-road facility fault information communication apparatus used in an advanced-cruise-assist highway system for detecting vehicles, obstacles on a road, and situations of the road surface, preparing information for supporting safe traveling of a driver and delivering information on a result of measurement to the driver, comprising functions for detecting a fault in on-road facilities in the advanced-cruise-assist highway system and also for communicating information on a fault in any downstream on-road facility to on-road facilities upstream from the faulty on-road facility.

2. The on-road facility fault information communication apparatus used in an advanced-cruise-assist highway system according to claim 1 further comprising a function for instructing, when information on a fault in any downstream on-road facility is received, on-road facilities to communicate the information on a fault in the downstream on-road facility only to vehicles having the possibility of entering a zone under control by the faulty on-road facility.

3. The on-road facility fault information communication apparatus used in an advanced-cruise-assist highway system according to claim 1 further comprising a function for instructing, when information on a fault in any downstream on-road facility is received, on-road facilities to display information on a fault in the downstream on-road facility only on information display boards which are recognized by vehicles having the possibility of entering a zone under control by the faulty on-road facility.