Method and system for deploying disaster alerts in a mobile vehicle communication system

• US 20060273884A1
• Filed: 06/01/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: Christine E. Meissner, Dwayne A. Crocker, Gary A. Watkins, Jie Song, Nebojsa Nedeljkovic
• Inventors: Watkins, Gary A., Song, Jie, Crocker, Dwayne A., Nedeljkovic, Nebojsa, Meissner, Christine E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,403,098 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/425.500
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 27/00 Alarm systems in which the alarm condition is signalled from a central station to a plurality of substations

Abstract

One aspect of the invention provides a method of deploying disaster alerts to a mobile vehicle. The method includes determining disaster area coordinates of a disaster area and calculating buffer coordinates of a buffer region based on the disaster area coordinates. The method further describes a vehicle circle based on a radius of at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle and compares the vehicle circle with the buffer region coordinates. The disaster area coordinates are compared with the vehicle circle. The method then deploys at least one disaster alert based on the comparison of the vehicle circle and buffer region coordinates and disaster area coordinates.

Claims

1. A method of deploying disaster alerts to a mobile vehicle, comprising:

determining disaster area coordinates of a disaster area;

calculating buffer coordinates of a buffer region based on the disaster area coordinates;

describing a vehicle circle based on a radius of at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle;

comparing the vehicle circle with the buffer region coordinates;

comparing the vehicle circle with the disaster area coordinates; and

deploying at least one disaster alert based on the comparison of the vehicle circle and buffer region coordinates and disaster area coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing a buffer alert at the mobile vehicle in response to the location coordinate within the buffer region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein deploying at least one disaster alert comprises:

playing a disaster alert at the mobile vehicle based on the location coordinate within the disaster region

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the vehicle circle with the buffer region coordinates comprises:

comparing a location coordinate of the mobile vehicle with at least one location coordinate within the buffer region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein describing a vehicle circle based on a radius of at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle comprises:

receiving first registration information of the mobile vehicle;

storing the first registration information in a registered vehicle database; and

determining the at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle from the first registration information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

indexing the first registration information of the mobile vehicle; and

reading the first registration information of the mobile vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

calculating a distance the mobile vehicle has traveled from the location coordinate; and

determining second registration information of the mobile vehicle based on the calculated distance.

8. A system of deploying disaster alerts to a mobile vehicle, comprising:

means for determining disaster area coordinates of a disaster area;

means for calculating buffer coordinates of a buffer region based on the disaster area coordinates;

means for describing a vehicle circle based on a radius of at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle;

means for comparing the vehicle circle with the buffer region coordinates;

means for comparing the vehicle circle with the disaster area coordinates; and

means for deploying at least one disaster alert based on the comparison of the vehicle circle and buffer region coordinates and disaster area coordinates.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein, further comprising:

means for playing a buffer alert at the mobile vehicle when the location coordinate is within the buffer region.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for playing a disaster alert at the mobile vehicle when the location coordinate is within the disaster region

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving first registration information of the mobile vehicle;

means for storing the first registration information in a registered vehicle database; and

means for determining the at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle from the first registration information.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for indexing the first registration information of the mobile vehicle; and

means for reading the first registration information of the mobile vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

means for calculating a distance the mobile vehicle has traveled from the location coordinate; and

means for determining second registration information of the mobile vehicle.

14. A computer usable medium including a program to deploy disaster alerts to a mobile vehicle, comprising:

computer program code that determines disaster area coordinates of a disaster area;

computer program code that calculates buffer coordinates of a buffer region based on the disaster area coordinates;

computer program code that describes a vehicle circle based on a radius of at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle;

computer program code that compares the vehicle circle with the buffer region coordinates;

computer program code that compares the vehicle circle with the disaster area coordinates; and

computer program code for deploying at least one disaster alert based on the comparison of the vehicle circle and buffer region coordinates and disaster area coordinates.

15. The medium of claim 14, further comprising:

computer program code that plays a buffer alert at the mobile vehicle when the location coordinate is within the buffer region.

16. The medium of claim 14, further comprising:

computer program code that plays a disaster alert at the mobile vehicle when the location coordinate is within the disaster region.

17. The medium of claim 16, further comprising:

computer program code that compares a location coordinate of the mobile vehicle with at least one location coordinate within the buffer region.

18. The medium of claim 14, further comprising:

computer program code that receives first registration information of the mobile vehicle;

computer program code that stores the first registration information in a registered vehicle database; and

computer program code that determines the at least one location coordinate of the mobile vehicle from the first registration information.

19. The medium of claim 18, further comprising:

computer program code that indexes the first registration information of the mobile vehicle; and

computer program code that reads the first registration information of the mobile vehicle.

20. The program of claim 19, further comprising:

computer program code that calculates a distance the mobile vehicle has traveled from the location coordinate; and

computer program code that determines second registration information of the mobile vehicle.