Vehicle presence indication

• US 20070179701A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Hamilton, William, Kellum, Carroll
• Granted Patent: US 8,000,857 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/26 the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for vehicle presence indication. The method includes receiving a request including an announcement type at a first vehicle. The receiving is from a second vehicle via a mobile ad-hoc network that includes the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The announcement type is initiated at the first vehicle in response to receiving the request.

Claims

1. A method for vehicle presence indication, the method comprising:

receiving a request including an announcement type at a first vehicle, the receiving from a second vehicle via a mobile ad-hoc network, which includes the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

initiating the announcement type at the first vehicle in response to receiving the request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request further includes a network address of the second vehicle, a geographic location of the second vehicle, a heading of the second vehicle and a current speed of the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the second vehicle is transmitted as a broadcast message.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the request further includes one or more of a geographic cell criteria, a vehicle heading angle range criteria, and a vehicle speed range criteria, wherein the initiating is performed only if the first vehicle meets one or more of the criteria.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the request further includes a unique vehicle identifier, wherein the initiating is performed only if the first vehicle corresponds to the unique vehicle identifier.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request from the second vehicle is transmitted specifically to the first vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the announcement type includes an audible warning.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the audible warning includes activation of a horn on the first vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the announcement type includes a visual warning.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the visual warning includes illumination or flashing of a headlight on the first vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the visual warning includes illumination or flashing of a marker light on the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the announcement type includes a coordinate acknowledgement and the initiating includes transmitting a geographic location of the first vehicle from the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the initiating further includes transmitting a heading and a speed of the first vehicle from the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the request at a traffic device; and

initiating the announcement type at the traffic device in response to receiving the request.

15. A system for vehicle presence indication, the system comprising:

a telematics unit in communication with a mobile ad-hoc network that includes a first vehicle and a second vehicle; and

a processor in communication with the telematics unit, the processor including instructions for facilitating;

receiving a request including an announcement type at the first vehicle, the receiving from the second vehicle via the mobile ad-hoc network; and

initiating the announcement type at the first vehicle in response to receiving the request.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the request further includes a network address of the second vehicle, a geographic location of the second vehicle, a heading of the second vehicle and a current speed of the second vehicle.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the request from the second vehicle is transmitted as a broadcast message via the mobile ad-hoc network.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the request further includes one or more of a geographic cell criteria, a vehicle heading angle range criteria, and a vehicle speed range criteria, wherein the initiating is performed only if the first vehicle meets one or more of the criteria.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor includes further instructions for:

receiving the request at a traffic device; and

initiating the announcement type at the traffic device in response to receiving the request.

20. A computer program product for vehicle presence indication, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method, the method including;

receiving a request including an announcement type at a first vehicle, the receiving from a second vehicle via a mobile ad-hoc network that includes the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

initiating the announcement type at the first vehicle in response to receiving the request.