Radio communications for vehicle speed adjustment

• US 20080021600A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sohr, Juergen
• Granted Patent: US 7,474,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

A method is provided comprising the following steps. A vehicle receives by radio from another vehicle an indication of speed of said another vehicle. The vehicle determines its own speed. A speed adjustment is automatically determined to be effected by said another vehicle so as to control relative speed of the vehicles. A speed adjustment request is transmitted by radio to said another vehicle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a vehicle receiving by radio from another vehicle an indication of speed of said another vehicle,

the vehicle detecting its own speed,

automatically determining a speed adjustment to be effected by said another vehicle so as to control relative speed of the vehicles,

transmitting by radio to said another vehicle a speed adjustment request to make the speed adjustment.

2. A method according to claim 1, in which the speed adjustment is such that relative speed would be increased for faster overtaking.

3. A method according to claim 2, in which the vehicle requests that said another vehicle, which is in front, slows down for faster overtaking.

4. A method according to claim 1 in which the vehicle requests that said another vehicle, which is in front, speeds up to avoid or delay overtaking.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which the relative speed is decreased to zero to avoid overtaking.

6. A method according to claim 1, in which the radio is in accordance with Bluetooth protocol.

7. A method according to claim 1, in which the vehicles are on a multilane roadway, and are trucks or other motorised land vehicles.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising making the speed adjustment automatically.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising making the speed adjustment under driver control.

10. Vehicle speed control apparatus comprising:

at least one radio transmitter-receiver, a processor, a speed controller, and a speed detector,

the processor being operative to;

receive data of speed from the speed detector,

receive data of speed of another vehicle received by the transmitter-receiver,

determine at least one of a speed adjustment to be made by the vehicle and a speed adjustment to be requested of said another vehicle;

upon a speed adjustment to be made by the vehicle being determined, the speed controller being operative to receive a speed adjustment control signal from the processor and adjust speed of the vehicle in consequence; and

upon a speed adjustment to be requested of said another vehicle being determined, the transmitter-receiver being operative to transmit the speed adjustment request.

11. Vehicle speed control apparatus according to claim 10, in which a speed adjustment to be requested of said another vehicle is determined and the transmitter-receiver is operative to transmit the speed adjustment request.

12. Vehicle speed control apparatus according to claim 10, in which the speed controller comprises a driver interface for displaying a speed adjustment command corresponding to the received speed adjustment control signal, to which the driver can respond by effecting adjustment of vehicle speed.

13. Vehicle speed control apparatus according to claim 10, in which the speed controller comprises a cruise control system operative to automatically respond to the speed adjustment control signal to adjust speed.