System and method for enabling wireless traffic message passing

• US 20050288849A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael A. Rothman, Vincent J. Zimmer
• Original Assignee: Michael A. Rothman, Vincent J. Zimmer
• Inventors: Zimmer, Vincent J., Rothman, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A system and method for enabling wireless traffic message passing. The method includes initializing a vehicle wireless subsystem and a highway wireless subsystem, enabling a vehicle transponder to broadcast a query to request real-time traffic pattern data, and if a response to the query has been received, incorporating the real-time traffic pattern data into a runtime database and creating a human-readable display for displaying the runtime database on a navigation system. The human-readable display of the traffic pattern data includes the display of free-flowing traffic, slow moving traffic, and stopped traffic on a map to allow the driver to change a planned travel route if slow and stopped traffic pattern conditions exit on the planned travel route.

Claims

1. A method for peer-to-peer traffic messaging comprising:

initializing a vehicle wireless subsystem;

broadcasting a query to request real-time traffic pattern data; and

if a response to the query has been received, incorporating the real-time traffic pattern data into a runtime database and creating a human-readable display for displaying on a navigation system, wherein the human-readable display provides a driver with up-to-date traffic conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the up-to-date traffic conditions include at least one of free flowing traffic, slow traffic, and stopped traffic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic pattern data is obtained from other vehicle wireless subsystems and highway wireless subsystems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the up-to-date traffic conditions comprise up-to-date highway traffic conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic pattern data comprises traffic pattern data received from at least one highway transponder.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time traffic pattern data comprises traffic pattern data received from other vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to incorporating the real-time traffic pattern data into a runtime database, determining whether the response to the query comprises traffic pattern data;

and if the response is not traffic pattern data, then waiting for a predetermined timeout to expire; and

broadcasting another query to request the real-time traffic pattern data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a request for data has been received; and

if a request for data has been received,

sending a traffic pattern packet based on data in the runtime database to a requestor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the requestor comprises one of a highway transponder and a vehicle transponder.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein if a request for data has not been received and a predetermined timeout has not expired, waiting for the request for data to be received until the predetermined timeout expires;

scanning the runtime database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the runtime database and creating the human-readable display for displaying on the navigation system;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the runtime database to requesters; and

continuously scanning the runtime database to purge the stale entries.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a request for data has been received; and

if a request for data has been received and a predetermined timeout has not expired, waiting for an additional request for data to be received until the predetermined timeout expires;

scanning the runtime database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the runtime database and creating the human-readable display for displaying on the navigation system;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the runtime database to requesters; and

continuously scanning the runtime database to purge the stale entries.

14. A method for peer-to-peer traffic messaging comprising:

initializing a highway transponder wireless subsystem;

enabling a highway transponder to broadcast a query to obtain highway traffic pattern data;

if a response is received, incorporating the highway traffic pattern data into a highway transponder database; and

if a response is not received and a first predetermined timeout has expired, enabling the highway transponder to broadcast another query to obtain the highway traffic pattern to incorporate into the highway transponder database.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether a request for data from another highway transponder or a vehicle transponder has been received; and

if the request for data is received, sending the requester a traffic pattern packet based on data in the highway transponder database.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining whether a second predetermined timeout has expired; and

if the second predetermined timeout has expired, scanning the highway transponder database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries from the highway transponder database.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the highway transponder database;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the highway transponder database to requestors; and

continuously scanning the highway transponder database to purge the stale entries.

18. A peer-to-peer traffic messaging system comprising:

a plurality of highway transponder subsystems, each highway transponder subsystem including a plurality of highway transponders dispersed on highways to transmit and receive traffic pattern data and highway memory to store the traffic pattern data; and

a plurality of vehicle transponder subsystems, each vehicle transponder subsystem housed inside of a vehicle, each vehicle transponder subsystem including a vehicle transponder to transmit and receive the traffic pattern data, vehicle memory to store the traffic pattern data, and a navigation system to display the traffic pattern data in a human readable format to a driver to enable the driver to view up-to-date traffic conditions.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display of the traffic pattern data in a human readable format includes the display of free-flowing traffic, slow moving traffic, and stopped traffic on a map to allow the driver to change a planned travel route if slow and stopped traffic pattern conditions exit on the planned travel route.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein highway transponders and vehicle transponders that are capable of communicating with each other perform peer-to-peer communications to exchange current traffic pattern data.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein each highway transponder subsystem further comprises a processor, the processor configured to:

initialize the highway transponder system;

enable the highway transponders to broadcast queries to obtain the traffic pattern data;

incorporate the traffic pattern data received from other highway transponders and vehicle transponders into a runtime database;

share the traffic pattern data in the runtime database with the other highway transponders and vehicle transponders;

scan the runtime database for stale data; and

purge the stale data.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein each vehicle transponder subsystem further comprises a processor, the processor configured to:

initialize the vehicle transponder subsystem;

enable the vehicle transponders to broadcast queries to obtain the traffic pattern data;

incorporate the traffic pattern data received from the highway transponders and other vehicle transponders into a runtime database;

display the traffic pattern data in a human readable format on the navigation system;

share the traffic pattern data in the runtime database with the other highway transponders and vehicle transponders;

scan the runtime database for stale data; and

purge the stale data.

23. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for initializing a vehicle wireless subsystem;

broadcasting a query to request real-time traffic pattern data; and

if a response to the query has been received, incorporating the real-time traffic pattern data into a runtime database and creating a human-readable display for displaying on a navigation system, wherein the human-readable display provides a driver with up-to-date traffic conditions.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein the up-to-date traffic conditions include at least one of free flowing traffic, slow traffic, and stopped traffic.

25. The article of claim 23, wherein the real-time traffic pattern data is obtained from other vehicle wireless subsystems and highway wireless subsystems.

26. The article of claim 23, wherein prior to instructions for incorporating the real-time traffic pattern data into a runtime database, further comprising instructions for determining whether the response to the query comprises traffic pattern data;

and if the response is not traffic pattern data, waiting for a predetermined timeout to expire; and

broadcasting another query to request the real-time traffic pattern data.

27. The article of claim 23, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether a request for data has been received; and

if a request for data has been received,

sending a traffic pattern packet based on data in the runtime database to a requester.

28. The article of claim 27, wherein the requestor comprises one of a highway transponder and a vehicle transponder.

29. The article of claim 27, wherein if a request for data has not been received and a predetermined timeout has not expired, further comprising instructions for waiting for the request for data to be received until the predetermined timeout expires;

scanning the runtime database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries.

30. The article of claim 29, further comprising instructions for continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the runtime database and creating the human-readable display for displaying on the navigation system;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the runtime database to requesters; and

continuously scanning the runtime database to purge the stale entries.

31. The article of claim 23, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether a request for data has been received; and

if a request for data has been received and a predetermined timeout has not expired, waiting for an additional request for data to be received until the predetermined timeout expires;

scanning the runtime database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries.

32. The article of claim 31, further comprising instructions for continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the runtime database and creating the human-readable display for displaying on the navigation system;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the runtime database to requesters; and

continuously scanning the runtime database to purge the stale entries.

33. An article comprising:

a storage medium having a plurality of machine accessible instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processor, the instructions provide for initializing a highway transponder wireless subsystem;

enabling a highway transponder to broadcast a query to obtain highway traffic pattern data;

if a response is received, incorporating the highway traffic pattern data into a highway transponder database; and

if a response is not received and a first predetermined timeout has expired, enabling the highway transponder to broadcast another query to obtain the highway traffic pattern to incorporate into the highway transponder database.

34. The article of claim 33, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether a request for data from another highway transponder or a vehicle transponder has been received; and

if the request for data is received, sending the requestor a traffic pattern packet based on data in the highway transponder database.

35. The article of claim 34, further comprising instructions for:

determining whether a second predetermined timeout has expired; and

if the second predetermined timeout has expired, scanning the highway transponder database for entries that are stale; and

purging the stale entries from the highway transponder database.

36. The article of claim 35, further comprising instructions for continuously broadcasting new queries to request the real-time traffic pattern data;

continuously incorporating new real-time traffic pattern data into the highway transponder database;

continuously sending new traffic pattern packets based on new data in the highway transponder database to requestors; and

continuously scanning the highway transponder database to purge the stale entries.