Motor vehicle speed detection and control system

• US 20070271020A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ronald L. Soper, Tony R. Flanner
• Original Assignee: Ronald L. Soper, Tony R. Flanner
• Inventors: Soper, Ronald L., Flanner, Tony R.
• Application Number:
  US11/728,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271020A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting

Abstract

A system disposed within a motor vehicle configured to measure the geographic coordinates of the vehicle in order to calculate and adjust and maintain the current speed of the vehicle to correspond to the speed limit the determined geographic coordinate. The system further includes a database that contains roadmaps and corresponding speed limit data. A coordinate determination system calculates the current geographic coordinate of the vehicle to calculate the current speed data of the vehicle and subsequently performs an algorithm to compare the current speed data with the speed limit data stored in the database for the current geographic coordinate. A speed adjusting mechanism will transmit a signal via an operating system interface to maintain the speed of the motor vehicle within a range corresponding to the speed limit data.

Claims

1. A system operable to adjust the speed of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a geographic coordinate determination system operable to receive data and determine the geographic coordinate of the motor vehicle; and

a speed control unit operable to maintain the speed of the motor vehicle pursuant to the determined geographic coordinate of the motor vehicle.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, and further including a database, said database having contained therein a plurality of roadmaps with corresponding speed limits data.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said geographic coordinate determination system interfaces with said database to determine the speed limit of the location of geographic coordinate of the motor vehicle.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said speed control interfaces with said geographic coordinate determination system and said database to maintain the speed of the motor vehicle within a range of speed from the speed limit of the location of the geographic coordinate of the motor vehicle.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein said geographic coordinate determination system includes a global positioning system.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said system is electrically coupled to the power supply of the motor vehicle.

7. A device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS), said GPS operable to determine the geographic location of the motor vehicle; and

a speed control unit operable to control the speed of the motor vehicle in response to the determined geographic location of the motor vehicle.

8. The device as recited in claim 7, and further including a database, said database having stored therein a plurality of roadmaps with corresponding speed limit data.

9. The device as recited in claim 8, wherein said GPS is further operable to calculate the current speed of the motor vehicle.

10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein said speed control unit is further operable to control the speed of the motor vehicle within a predetermined range of speed corresponding to the speed limit data of the determined geographic location of the motor vehicle.

11. The device as recited in claim 10, wherein said speed control unit is operable to decrease the speed of the motor vehicle in response to the calculated speed of the motor vehicle being great than a predetermined limit of the speed limit data of the determined geographic location.

12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein the speed control unit is operably coupled to at least one of a fuel flow system and a cruise control system of the motor vehicle.

13. A system operable to control the speed of a vehicle utilizing the geographic coordinates of the vehicle comprising:

a controller, said controller configured to receive, store and manipulate data, said controller being operably connected to the motor vehicle, said controller being disposed within the motor vehicle;

a global positioning system, said global positioning system operably connected to said system, said global positioning system configured to receive and store geographic coordinates;

a speed control unit;

said speed control unit operably coupled to the motor vehicle to adjust the speed of the motor vehicle; and

a database, said database having stored therein a plurality of roadmaps and speed limit data for all geographic coordinates along the roadmaps.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the global positioning system is configured to calculate, store and transmit the current speed data of the vehicle.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the speed control unit processes the current speed data from the global positioning system and performs an algorithm to compare the current speed data with the speed limit data contained in said database for the current geographic coordinate.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, and further including an operating system interface operably coupled to at least one of the fuel control systems or cruise control systems of the vehicle.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the speed control unit transmits a signal to adjust the speed of the vehicle is the current speed data is different from the speed limit data for the geographic coordinate.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein the speed control unit functions to adjust the speed of the vehicle when the current speed data is greater than the speed limit data for the geographic coordinate.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said system is electrically coupled to the power supply of the vehicle.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said system is further configured to transmit current speed data and speed limit data to a remote monitor.