Intra-Vehicle Information Conveyance System and Method

• US 20120323474A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S., Johnson, Wendell C., DuVall, Wilbur E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0071 Controller overrides driver automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18154 Approaching an intersection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 : Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 : Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 : whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2007/4975 : of sensor obstruction by, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating, e.g. by reflection measurement on front-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 : Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 : combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9318 : Controlling the steering
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 : Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 : Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 : using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 : Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 : using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 : in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93272 : in the back of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 : on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9329 : cooperating with reflectors or transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 : using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 : comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 : using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 : with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 : Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

System and method for conveying data between vehicles includes a data generating system arranged on a first vehicle to obtain or generate information about the first vehicle or conditions around the first vehicle, a first communications system arranged on the first vehicle and coupled to the data generating system for communicating with a wireless Internet service provider (ISP) and a second communications system arranged on a second vehicle and communicating with an ISP. The first communications system enables the information obtained or generated by the data generating system to be transmitted via the Internet to the second communications system. The first and second communications systems can communicate with the same ISP or different ISPs linked to one another.

Claims

1. A system for conveying data between vehicles, comprising:

a data generating system arranged on a first vehicle and configured to obtain or generate information about the first vehicle or conditions around the first vehicle; and

a first communications system arranged on the first vehicle and coupled to said data generating system for communicating with a wireless Internet service provider (ISP);

said first communications system transmitting the information obtained or generated by said data generating system via the ISP to a second communications system on a second vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said data generating system obtains or generates information about at least one of a travel direction, a destination, occupancy, a road on which the first vehicle is traveling, road maps in the vicinity of the first vehicle, environmental conditions around the first vehicle, traffic in the vicinity of the first vehicle, and construction in the vicinity of the first vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first communications system is configured to establish an Internet link to the second communications system via the ISP without manual intervention.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a first vehicle position and movement determining system arranged in the first vehicle to determine the position and movement of the first vehicle, said first communications system being coupled to said first position and movement determining system and transmitting the determined position and movement of the first vehicle via the Internet to said second communications system in conjunction with additional information obtained or generated by said data generating system about the conditions around the first vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a second position and movement determining system in the second vehicle to determine the position and movement of the second vehicle; and

a processor in the second vehicle for considering the positions and movements of the first and second vehicle and being configured to react to the information obtained or generated by said data generating system in the first vehicle based on analysis of the relative positions and movements of the first and second vehicles.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a data storage facility coupled to the ISP for storing the information obtained or generated by said data generating system in association with the position of the first vehicle when that information is communicated from said first communications system such that said data storage facility contains data about conditions of an area traveled by the first vehicle in association with the location of that area;

said second communications system being arranged to communicate with said data storage facility via the ISP to determine whether said data storage facility contains information about an area about to be or being traveled by the second vehicle and if so, to request such information.

7. The system of claim 4, further comprising a reactive system arranged in the second vehicle to react to the information obtained or generated by said data generating system.

8. The system of claim 4, further comprising a notification system arranged in the second vehicle for visually or audibly notifying an occupant of the second vehicle about the information obtained or generated by said data generating system

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said first communications system is configured to transmit information about a type of the first vehicle to the second communications system in conjunction with the information obtained or generated by said data generating system.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a traffic monitoring facility that receives the information obtained or generated by said data generating system, said traffic monitoring facility being configured to analyze the information and generate traffic reports based thereon, perform traffic control actions, and/or notify additional vehicles about the information.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a position determining system arranged in the first vehicle for determining the position of the first vehicle, said first communications system being coupled to said position determining system and configured to transmit the determined position of the first vehicle to said traffic monitoring facility in conjunction with additional information obtained or generated by said data generating system about the conditions around the first vehicle, said traffic monitoring facility being configured to set speed limits for an area including the position from which the first vehicle obtained or generated the information and which speed limits are based on the obtained or generated information, and convey the speed limits to signs on or alongside roads in that area.

12. A method for conveying data between vehicles, comprising:

obtaining or generating information at a first vehicle about the first vehicle or conditions around the first vehicle;

transmitting the obtained or generated information from the first vehicle to a wireless Internet service provider (ISP); and

transmitting the obtained or generated information from the ISP to a second vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of obtaining or generating information comprises obtaining or generating information about at least one of a travel direction, a destination, occupancy, a road on which the first vehicle is traveling, road maps in the vicinity of the first vehicle, environmental conditions around the first vehicle, traffic in the vicinity of the first vehicle, and construction in the vicinity of the first vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising establishing Internet links between the first and second vehicles and the ISP without manual intervention.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the position and movement of the first vehicle;

determining the position and movement of the second vehicle;

transmitting the determined position and movement of the first vehicle via the Internet to the second vehicle;

analyzing the positions and movements of the first and second vehicle at the second vehicle; and

directing the second vehicle to take action based on analysis of the relative positions and movements of the first and second vehicles.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of directing the second vehicle to take action comprises altering an intended travel path of the second vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing in a database coupled to the ISP the information obtained or generated at the first vehicle in association with the position of the first vehicle when that information is transmitted to the ISP such that the database contains data about conditions of an area traveled by the first vehicle in association with the location of that area;

establishing communications between the second vehicle and the ISP to enable the second vehicle to determine whether the database contains information about an area about to be or being traveled by the second vehicle; and

if so, transmitting the information from the database to the second vehicle such that the second vehicle receives information previously provided to the database by the first vehicle.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising visually or audibly notifying an occupant of the second vehicle about the information transmitted from the first vehicle

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting information about a type of the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the information obtained or generated at the first vehicle to a traffic monitoring facility;

generating traffic reports at the traffic monitoring facility based on the information; and

performing traffic control actions and/or notifying additional vehicles about the information.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of transmitting the information from the first vehicle comprises arranging a communications device comprising an IEEE 802.xx compliant system including an antenna on the first vehicle.

22. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining the position of the first vehicle;

transmitting the determined position of the first vehicle via the Internet to a traffic monitoring facility in conjunction with additional information obtained or generated at the first vehicle;

setting speed limits at the traffic monitoring facility for an area including the position from which the first vehicle obtained or generated the information and which speed limits are based on the obtained or generated information; and

conveying the speed limits to signs on or alongside roads in that area.