COLLABORATIVE TRAFFIC MONITORING

• US 20130073193A1
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heavey, Robert Luke
• Application Number:
  US13/235,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073193A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A collaborative traffic monitoring method is described. In an embodiment, a collaborative traffic monitoring system for use in a vehicle comprises an input for receiving GPS location data and a processing unit which generates speed data for a vehicle based on the received GPS location data. The system also includes a transmitter which broadcasts the speed data and a receiver which receives speed data broadcast by other vehicles. The received speed data is then used to display an indication of the road speeds ahead.

Claims

1. A collaborative traffic monitoring system for use in a vehicle, the system comprising:

an input for receiving GPS location data for the vehicle from a GPS module;

a processing unit arranged to compile speed data for the vehicle using the GPS location data;

a wireless transmitter arranged to broadcast the speed data;

a wireless receiver arranged to receive third party speed data from other vehicles; and

an output to a display device arranged to display data indicative of road speeds for a plurality of road samples ahead of the vehicle, the road speed for each road sample being computed based on the third party speed data received.

2. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is arranged to broadcast both speed data compiled by the processing unit and third party speed data received from other vehicles.

3. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 2, wherein the speed data broadcast by the wireless transmitter comprises a plurality of messages, each message comprising at least one data packet, the data packet comprising at least one GPS position and at least one timestamp.

4. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to process the third party speed data to compute the road speeds for each of the plurality of road samples ahead of the vehicle, the computed road speeds comprising predictions of road speeds for each of the plurality of road samples ahead of the vehicle.

5. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the data indicative of road speeds for a plurality of road samples ahead of the vehicle comprises a graphical representation of road speed for each of the plurality of road samples.

6. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data store arranged to store the third party speed data.

7. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein one of the data store and the processing unit is arranged to periodically erase elements of the stored third party speed data.

8. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

determine a location category using the GPS location data; and

compile speed data for the vehicle using the GPS location data according to criteria specified for the determined location category.

9. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

adjust a transmission parameter used by the wireless transmitter to broadcast the speed data, wherein the transmission parameter is adjusted based on the determined location category.

10. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein the criteria specified for the determined location category comprises a road sample length for the determined location category.

11. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is arranged to wait for time interval in which no radio transmission is received before broadcasting the speed data and to wait for a time period following broadcast of the speed data before repeating this process.

12. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising the display device.

13. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising the GPS module.

14. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein at least the input, processing unit, wireless transmitter and wireless receiver are integrated on a single silicon chip.

15. A collaborative traffic monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein at least the input, processing unit, wireless transmitter and wireless receiver are integrated within one of a vehicle audio system and a vehicle management system.

16. A collaborative traffic monitoring method implemented in a vehicle, the method comprising:

collecting speed data for the vehicle;

broadcasting speed data from the vehicle using a wireless transmitter;

receiving speed data broadcast by another vehicle using a wireless receiver; and

displaying, on a display device, speed data for road samples ahead based on the received speed data.

17. A collaborative traffic monitoring method according to claim 16, further comprising:

storing the received speed data in a data store; and

periodically erasing elements of the stored speed data.

18. A collaborative traffic monitoring method according to claim 16, further comprising:

identifying a location category using GPS data; and

changing an aspect of at least one of the collection, broadcast and display of speed data based on criteria associated with the identified location category.

19. An in-vehicle unit for collaborative traffic monitoring, the unit comprising:

a GPS module;

a processing unit arranged to receive GPS location data from the GPS module and compile speed data using the GPS location data;

a receiver arranged to receive speed data from other vehicles;

a transmitter arranged to broadcast at least a subset of the compiled speed data and the speed data received from other vehicles; and

a display arranged to display predictions of road speeds ahead, the predictions being generated based on the speed data received from other vehicles.

20. An in-vehicle unit according to claim 19, wherein the predictions of road speeds ahead comprise a prediction of road speed for each of a plurality of road samples ahead, each road sample having a length defined based on GPS location data.