Central Network for the Automated Control of Vehicular Traffic

• US 20140309814A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Flextronics America LLC (Flextronics International Limited)
• Inventors: Ricci, Christopher P., Wilson, Tadd F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,373,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0639 Item locations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 : Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 : inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 : Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 : using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 : Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 : Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19647 : Systems specially adapted for intrusion detection in or around a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 : indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 : Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 : Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 : located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 : using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 : using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 : Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0005 : Control or signalling for completing the hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/34 : Reselection control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 : for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 : Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 : based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 : Moving wireless networks

Abstract

Methods and systems for a traffic control system provide arrangements and processes for managing automated vehicles. The traffic control system can register vehicles and then control the operation of the vehicles through a section of roadway. The automated control includes the communication of directions and other messages that ensure the proper function of the vehicle while under the guidance of the traffic control system

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising:

a control server, including a processor and associated with a traffic control system, receiving a registration of a vehicle;

the control server receiving travel information from the vehicle;

the control server determining a control arrangement for the vehicle; and

the control server sending a control message to control the vehicle in the traffic control system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle automatically, without driver input, follows instructions in the control message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the travel information includes a current location and a destination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the control information includes a speed and a position within traffic to which the vehicle must adhere.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the vehicle generates a route based on the control arrangement.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the vehicle follows the route automatically without driver input.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the control server sends a second control message to change a behavior of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second message is instructs the vehicle to exit from a roadway.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control message includes a lane designation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a second vehicle receives a second the control message, wherein the second control message is different from the control message sent to the vehicle.

11. A control server associated with a traffic control system comprising:

a processor operable to execute one or more modules, the modules comprising;

a registration module operable to;

receive a registration of a vehicle;

a traffic control module operable to;

receive travel information from the vehicle;

determine a control arrangement for the vehicle; and

send a control message to control the vehicle in the traffic control system.

12. The control server of claim 11, wherein the vehicle generates a route based on the control arrangement, and wherein the vehicle follows the route automatically without driver input.

13. The control server of claim 12, wherein the control server sends a second control message to change a behavior of the vehicle, and wherein the second message is instructs the vehicle to exit from a roadway.

14. The control server of claim 13, wherein the control information includes one or more of a lane, a speed, and a position within traffic to which the vehicle must adhere.

15. The control server of claim 14, wherein the travel information includes a current location and a destination.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium stored on a storage medium and having instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive a registration of a vehicle;

instructions to receive travel information from the vehicle;

instructions to determine a control arrangement for the vehicle; and

instructions to send a control message to control the vehicle in the traffic control system.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the vehicle generates a route based on the control arrangement, and wherein the vehicle follows the route automatically without driver input.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the control server sends a second control message to change a behavior of the vehicle, and wherein the second message is instructs the vehicle to exit from a roadway.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the control information includes one or more of a lane, a speed, and a position within traffic to which the vehicle must adhere.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the travel information includes a current location and a destination.