Identification of Location of a Target Address Using Position Information Transmitted by Position Identifying Transmitter in Vicinity of Target Address

• US 20150006076A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Shang Q., Isci, Canturk, Lenchner, Jonathan, Mukherjee, Maharaj, Tong-Viet, Emmanuel
• Granted Patent: US 9,635,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for navigating a vehicle to a target address using position information transmitted by a position identifying transmitter in a vicinity of the target address. A location of a target address is determined by receiving position information for the target address, upon entry of a searching vehicle in search of a target address into a vicinity of the target address, wherein the received position information for the target address is based upon position information transmitted by a position identifying transmitter located in the vicinity of the target address; and generating a navigation route to direct the searching vehicle to the target address using the received position information.

Claims

1. A method for determining a location of a target address, comprising:

upon entry of a searching vehicle in search of a target address into a vicinity of said target address, receiving position information for said target address, wherein said received position information for said target address is based upon position information transmitted by a position identifying transmitter located in said vicinity of the target address; and

generating a navigation route-to direct said searching vehicle to said target address using the received position information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitted position information for said target address is received by said searching vehicle directly from said position identifying transmitter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitted position information for said target address is received by said searching vehicle indirectly from one or more nearby vehicles that individually obtain address information from position transmitters that the nearby vehicles come in proximity to and relay the obtained address information to passing vehicles to form a relay network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of employing said relay network to exchange said position information with one or more other nearby vehicles using one or more of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system and a vehicle-to-base station communication system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitted position information for said target address comprises one or more of latitude/longitude coordinates for said target address and a localized map including said target address.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein a vehicle that has obtained position information for said target address deposits said obtained position information into an address depot from which the deposited position information can be obtained by said searching vehicle.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the searching vehicle first requests information about the target address from one or more passing vehicles and then only receives information from said one or more passing vehicles about the target address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is integrated into a navigation system in said searching vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said position identifying transmitter is associated with one or more of a mail box, a building associated with said target address, a number tag associated with said target address, near an entrance to a neighborhood containing said target address and an Access Point associated with said target address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said position information for said target address is transmitted by one or more of an owner of a building associated with said target address, an association comprising said target address and an address depot.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said address depot is populated with position information for one or more target addresses by one or more of a neighborhood association, a government entity, a highway authority, a construction company and one or more nearby vehicles.

12. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of storing said received position information in a circular buffer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating step further comprises entering said received position information into a navigation system in said searching vehicle.

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