System and method for providing weather warnings and alerts

• US 20070049260A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Habaguchi, Masayuki, Yuhara, Hiromitsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A method is provided for providing weather data to a vehicle comprising the steps of: (a) receiving a broadcast signal containing weather data referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map; (b) determining the present location, speed, and direction of the vehicle; (c) calculating a geographic region for which the weather data will affect the vehicle user based upon the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle; (d) filtering the weather data to yield filtered data comprising at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the previously calculated geographic region; and (e) formatting the filtered data for display to vehicle occupants.

Claims

1. A method for providing weather data to a vehicle, comprising:

(a) receiving a broadcast signal containing weather data referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map;

(b) determining the present location, speed, and direction of the vehicle;

(c) calculating a geographic region for which the weather data will affect the vehicle user based upon the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle;

(d) filtering the weather data to yield filtered data comprising at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the previously calculated geographic region; and

(e) formatting the filtered data for display to vehicle occupants.

2. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein filtering the weather data further comprises filtering at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to a longitude within a predetermined distance of the vehicle.

3. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises arranging the weather data within a mesh defined by latitude and longitude.

4. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising removing duplicate data from the received weather data prior to the formatting step.

5. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises selecting a blinking icon to indicate a weather warning to the user.

6. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein formatting the filtered data further comprises selecting a pop-up message to indicate a weather warning to the user.

7. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising determining if the vehicle is near a warning area defined in the received weather data prior to the formatting step.

8. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving a broadcast signal comprises receiving a satellite radio broadcast signal.

9. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving a broadcast signal containing weather data comprises receiving the weather data in a mesh/grid format.

10. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein receiving a broadcast signal containing weather data comprises receiving the weather data as a multi-longitudinal data array.

11. The method for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the weather data further comprises storm tracking data, and filtering the weather data further comprises identifying at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to a storm identified in the storm tracking data.

12. A system for providing weather data to a vehicle, comprising:

a telematics unit equipped to receive weather data over a broadcast network such that the weather data is referenced to a plurality of cells arranged in a grid corresponding to a geographic map; and

a navigation system in electrical communication with the telematics unit for reception of the weather data and further comprising a display equipped to present the weather data to a user, a Global Positioning System antenna equipped to determine the vehicle location, a speed sensor equipped to determine the vehicle speed, and a yaw-rate sensor equipped to determine the vehicle direction;

wherein the navigation system is adapted to calculate a geographic region for which the weather data will affect the vehicle user based upon the current location, speed, and direction of the vehicle and at least one of the telematics unit and the navigation system is adapted to filter the weather data prior to user display based upon at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to the previously calculated geographic region.

13. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the filtered data is displayed within a mesh defined by latitude and longitude.

14. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data is further filtered in accordance with at least one of the plurality of cells correlated to a longitude within a predetermined distance of the vehicle.

15. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the telematics unit further comprises a satellite radio receiver unit equipped to receive the weather data.

16. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the broadcast network comprises a satellite radio broadcasting network.

17. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the navigation system transmits the calculated geographic region to the telematics unit and the telematics unit filters the weather data.

18. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the navigation system filters the weather data.

19. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein duplicate data is removed from the weather data.

20. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the telematics unit removes the duplicate data.

21. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the navigation system removes the duplicate data.

22. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the navigation system requests weather data from the telematics unit based upon the calculated geographic region.

23. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the display indicates a weather warning via a blinking icon.

24. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the display indicates a weather warning via a pop-up message.

25. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data comprises current weather data.

26. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data comprises weather forecast data.

27. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data comprises weather alerts.

28. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data is displayed as weather icons.

29. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the weather data is displayed as text.

30. The system for providing weather data to a vehicle according to Claim. 12, wherein the weather data is displayed via a defined color scheme.

31. A method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle, comprising:

(a) receiving a first broadcast signal containing weather warning mesh data and a second broadcast signal containing weather warning information;

(b) determining whether a current location of the vehicle is in or near the area to which the received weather warning mesh data and weather warning information apply; and

(c) displaying a warning to the vehicle user if the current vehicle location is in or near the area to which the received weather warning mesh data and weather warning information apply.

32. The method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle according to claim 31, wherein displaying the warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying an icon.

33. The method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle according to claim 31, wherein displaying the warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying a blinking icon.

34. The method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle according to claim 31, wherein displaying the warning to the vehicle user further comprises displaying a pop-up message.

35. The method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle according to claim 31, further comprising filtering a portion of the weather warning information that is mismatched to the weather warning mesh data based upon a matching number contained in both the weather warning mesh data and the weather warning information prior to the determining step.

36. The method for providing weather warnings to a vehicle according to claim 31, wherein receiving a broadcast signal comprises receiving a satellite radio broadcast signal.