AUTOMATIC SPEED LIMIT ADJUST FOR ROAD CONDITIONS

• US 20100004838A1
• Filed: 07/01/2008
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Paul Jin, Georgis, Nikolaos, Carpio, Fredrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0064 using a remote, e.g. cordless, transmitter or receiver unit, e.g. remote keypad or mobile phone
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• 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 30/146 Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A mobile computer that can be borne in a vehicle and that can receive position information may adjust a maximum speed limit to account for unfavorable weather or road conditions and cause the vehicle to automatically reduce speed below the adjusted maximum limit.

Claims

1. A mobile computer that can be borne in a vehicle and that:

is configured to receive position information; and

is configured to communicate a speed limit associated with the position information and adjusted to account for road conditions to cause a vehicle to automatically reduce speed below an adjusted maximum limit.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer is configured to access a database of speed limits.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer is configured to communicate with a sender of road conditions to receive the road conditions therefrom.

4. The computer of claim 3, wherein the computer is configured to apply rules to the road condition and output an adjusted speed limit associated with the position information.

5. The computer of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to receive from a base station a speed limit adjusted for road conditions.

6. The computer of claim 1, wherein the mobile computer includes an advanced televisions systems committee (ATSC) tuner.

7. A tangible computer storage medium readable by a processor to:

automatically limit a vehicle maximum speed in response to an upper speed limit modified by application of rules relating to road conditions such that the vehicle may travel at any speed up to but not exceeding the upper speed limit.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the medium is executable by the processor to:

receive geographic position information, the road conditions being associated with the geographic position information.

9. The medium of claim 7, wherein the medium is executable by the processor to access a database of speed limits.

10. The medium of claim 7, wherein the medium is executable by the processor to communicate with a sender of road conditions to receive the road conditions therefrom.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the medium is executable by the processor to apply rules to the road condition and output an adjusted speed limit associated with the position information.

12. The medium of claim 7, wherein the medium is executable by the processor to receive from a base station a speed limit adjusted for road conditions.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a geographic position;

accessing a database of speed limits to determine a nominal speed limit associated with the geographic information; and

accessing current road condition information for the speed limit; and

if the current road condition information warrants, adjusting down the speed limit to render a modified speed limit.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising displaying the adjusted speed limit.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising applying at least one road condition rule to the nominal speed limit to render the modified speed limit.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising automatically preventing a vehicle at the geographic position from exceeding the modified speed limit.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising receiving road condition information at a mobile computer from a base station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the road condition information is received from an advanced televisions systems committee (ATSC) tuner.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the mobile computer determines the modified speed limit.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the base station determines the modified speed limit and communicates the modified speed limit to the mobile computer.