SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVED TRAFFIC FLOW REPORTING USING SATELLITE DIGITAL AUDIO RADIO SERVICE (SDARS) AND VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS, NAVIGATION AND TRACKING SYSTEM

• US 20140278034A1
• Filed: 05/12/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Marko, Paul D.
• Application Number:
  US14/275,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20140278034A1
• 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 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for improved traffic flow reporting (e.g., system bandwidth conservation and timely traffic flow updates) using in-vehicle devices, service hub, and communications system for transmitting aggregated traffic flow data to the vehicles. In-vehicle devices store data relating to monitored segments of roadways (e.g., segment identifiers or location codes and designated range(s) of speed), and send messages to the hub when current vehicle speed is not within a selected range designated for the current segment of roadway where the vehicle is located. The hub provides updated traffic flow data based on the messages to the communications system for transmission to the vehicles. Vehicles can be configured to send messages based on various criteria. One or more selected vehicles can be commanded to send a message to the hub. Vehicles can respond to location-specified content in broadcast data when they determined themselves to be in the specified location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing vehicle telematics services comprising:

receiving, at a vehicle, information comprising location-specific content when it is broadcast to a plurality of vehicles, the vehicle being one of the plurality of vehicles;

determining, at the vehicle, its current position data;

determining, at the vehicle, whether the vehicle position is within the location specified by the broadcast information; and

generating a response, at the vehicle, when the vehicle location is within the location specified by the broadcast information.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the location-specific content comprises information relating to a traffic-related event.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the response is an indication on a display that provides information corresponding to the traffic-related event to a user.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the vehicle, a command from a hub to respond with a message; and

transmitting a message responding to the command to the hub using a wireless phone service.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless phone service is provided via a personal communications service (PCS).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising transmitting commands to selected ones of the plurality of vehicles to respond with a message.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the selected vehicles respond with a message at a selected time.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the command requests a message indicating a selected condition associated with the vehicle or its owner.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the command requests that vehicles satisfying one or more selected criteria respond with a message.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast information can be traffic flow information comprising traffic data relating to a reported speed range for vehicles traveling on respective ones of the segments of roadways, and further comprising

storing, at the vehicle, location data that corresponds to different segments of roadways over which traffic flow is monitored;

receiving, at the vehicle, the traffic flow information comprising traffic data relating to a reported speed range for vehicles traveling on respective ones of the segments of roadways;

determining, at the vehicle, its current position data;

determining, at the vehicle, if its current position data is within one of the segments by comparing its current position data with the location data in the stored location data;

determining, at the vehicle, its current vehicle speed;

if the vehicle is determined to be traveling within one of the segments, then determining if its current vehicle speed is within the reported speed range for that segment; and

generating, at the vehicle, a message reporting its current vehicle speed for transmission to the hub when its current vehicle speed is not within the reported speed range for that segment, the hub having a traffic flow information processor for processing the message from each of respective vehicles to aggregate the reported vehicle speeds and monitor the segments of roadways.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising controlling the vehicle to not send a message reporting its current vehicle speed when its current vehicle speed is within the reported speed range for that segment.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising transmitting a command to selected ones of the vehicles to respond with respective messages.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the command requests a message relating to a condition unrelated to the reported speed range for the segment in which the vehicle is traveling.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the broadcast information comprises the location data and the traffic flow information.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast information comprises multiplexed programming channels.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the broadcast information comprises telematics information.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the telematics information comprises traffic flow information.