Device and utilisation method for determining user charges for travelling on stretch of road

• US 20060261980A1
• Filed: 01/24/2004
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Beier, Wolfgang
• Application Number:
  US10/548,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261980A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A method of using a road toll determination apparatus in a vehicle to generate and transmit to oncoming vehicles information about the road ahead. Such apparatus comprises a digital map of a road network, sensors for data collection, a short-range communication device and a processor. Road section curve-related data are generated from the sensor data, and the short-range communication device is used for sending or receiving road-section curve-related data to and from an approaching vehicle.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. Apparatus arranged in a vehicle for determining vehicle road tolls for traveling on a section of road, the apparatus comprising:

a digital map of a road network;

sensors for collecting sensor data;

a short-range communication device; and

a processor which is programmed for determining road tolls;

wherein,

said apparatus also includes means for generating road-section curve-related data from the sensor data; and

the short-range communication device is adapted to send or receive road-section curve-related data.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein a rotation rate sensor is additionally provided.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 21, wherein a data link between the apparatus and sensors or control units on the vehicle is also provided.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means for generating road-section curve-related data is provided in the form of a processor, which is also programmed to determine such curve-related data.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the short-range communication device is operated in the infrared domain.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the vehicle is a commercial vehicle.

26. A method for operating a device mounted on a first vehicle for determining vehicle tolls for traveling a section of road, which device includes a digital map of a road network, sensors for collecting sensor data, a short-range communication device, and a data processor, said method comprising:

said processor using sensor data from said sensors to generate curve-related data for a section of road that has been traveled by said first vehicle;

using said short-range communication device to transmit said curve-related data to an oncoming vehicle, that approaches said section of road that has been traveled by said first vehicle.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising said second vehicle using said curve-related data to output information to an operator of said oncoming vehicle.

28. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein said curve-related data include data generated for sections of road which are not covered by the digital map of the road network.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein following generation of the curve-related data the processor performs a check to determine whether these data need to be sent.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein following the reception of curve-related data a second processor in the oncoming vehicle performs a check to determine whether these data need to be used for outputting information in the vehicle.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein external intervention can be used to perform an altered check.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, wherein the curve-related data received are used by the second processor to determine a maximum speed for the vehicle.

33. The method as claimed in claim 32, wherein data characterizing individual vehicle features are additionally used for determination of maximum speed.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein information is output to the vehicle operator only if actual speed of the oncoming vehicle exceeds the maximum speed which has been determined.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the information which is output is a warning message.

36. The method as claimed in claim 35, wherein the information which is output further comprises distance from the oncoming vehicle to the start of a bend in the section of road.

37. The method as claimed in claim 36, wherein provision is made for a message to be stored and/or sent if the speed of the vehicle exceeds the maximum speed which has been determined.

38. In a device for determining vehicle tolls for traveling a section of road, which device includes sensors for collecting data used to determine said tolls, a short-range communication device and a data processor;

a computer program product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with a program for causing said processor to perform the following steps;

using sensor data from said sensors to generate curve-related data for section of road traveled by said first vehicle;

using said short-range communication device to transmit said curve-related data to an approaching vehicle.

39. A method for generating and disseminating safety related road curvature information among vehicles having a toll calculating device for determining vehicle tolls for operating said vehicle on a section of road, said method comprising:

a processor contained in a first toll calculating device on board a first vehicle using sensor data generated by sensors contained in said first toll calculating device to generate road curvature information characterizing a particular section of road that have been traversed by said first vehicle; and

using a short-range communication unit contained in said first toll calculating device to transmit said road curvature information to a short-range communication unit contained in a second toll calculating device on board an oncoming second vehicle which is approaching said particular section of road.