Enhanced vehicle hazard warning and safety features integrated with an onboard navigation system

• US 20030016146A1
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Paul Reuben, Bates, Cary Lee, Santosuosso, John Matthew, Crenshaw, Robert James
• Granted Patent: US 6,583,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method and system for vehicle hazard warning and safety integrated with an onboard navigational system for providing a current geographical location of the vehicle to a base station, receiving an event signal from the vehicle at the base station, while the vehicle is proximate to the current geographic location associating the geographic location with the event signal to determine that the vehicle is distressed, and transmitting hazard information from the base station to the vehicle in response to such association. The association may be based upon directional information which is provided by the vehicle. A control signal is transmitted to the vehicle and the hazard lights of the vehicle are automatically activated in response to receipt of that control signal. Navigational assistance can also be presented to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing the safety of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

determining a current geographic location of a vehicle;

receiving an event signal from the vehicle, while the vehicle is proximate the current geographic location;

associating the geographic location with the event signal to determine that the vehicle is distressed; and

automatically activating a hazard indication at the vehicle in response to said associating step.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining directional information of the vehicle, wherein said associating step is further based on the directional information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of automatically activating a hazard indication at said vehicle comprises the step of automatically activating hazard lights at said vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of transmitting a hazard indication signal to a base station.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of the base station transmitting a warning regarding the distressed vehicle to at least one other vehicle in response to receipt of the hazard indication signal at the base station.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the event signal is transmitted by the vehicle responsive to deployment of a safety feature of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of deactivating the event signal.

8. A system for enhancing the safety of a vehicle, said system comprising:

means for providing for a current geographic location of a vehicle;

means for receiving an event signal from the vehicle, while the vehicle is proximate the current geographic location;

means for associating the geographic location with the event signal to determine that the vehicle is distressed; and

means for automatically activating a hazard indication at the vehicle in response to said determination that the vehicle is distressed.

9. The system according to claim 8 further comprising means for determining directional information of the vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein said means for automatically activating a hazard indication at the vehicle in response to said determination that the vehicle is distressed comprises means for automatically activating hazard lights of the vehicle in response to a determination that the vehicle is distressed.

11. The system according to claim 8 further including means for transmitting a hazard indication signal to a base station.

12. The system according to claim 11 further comprising means for transmitting a warning from the base station regarding the distressed vehicle to at least one other vehicle in response to receipt of said hazard indication signal.

13. The system according to claim 8 further including means for transmitting the event signal in response to deployment of a safety feature of the vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 8 further comprising the means for deactivating the event signal.