METHOD FOR CONVEYING DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR VEHICULAR CONTROL

• US 20170249838A1
• Filed: 05/15/2017
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,997,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• 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 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element

Abstract

Method for conveying driving conditions and using the conveyed driving conditions for vehicular control includes generating information about a travel surface or an environment around the travel surface using sensors fixed in position relative to the travel surface. Each sensor includes a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface. A communication of the information generated by that sensor to a vehicle or its occupant is initiated only when that vehicle is within the set distance from a sensor. Operation of a display, navigation, control and/or guidance system in that vehicle is caused to change from an existing operating state to one of several different operating states as a result of reception of the communication from the sensor.

Claims

1. A method for conveying driving conditions and using the conveyed driving conditions for vehicular control, comprising:

generating information about a travel surface or an environment around the travel surface using sensors fixed in position relative to the travel surface, each of the sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface that affects interaction between tires and the travel surface and which is part of the generated information;

only when a vehicle is within the set distance from the one of the sensors, initiating a communication of the information generated by the one of the sensors to the vehicle within the set distance from the sensor or occupant thereof, whereby a communication of the information generated by each of the sensors is not initiated unless a vehicle is within the set distance from that sensor; and

causing operation of at least one of a display, navigation, control and guidance system in the vehicle within the set distance from the one of the sensors to change from an existing operating state to one of a plurality of different operating states as a result of reception of the communication from the one of the sensors, the specific one of the different operating states to which the display, navigation, control or guidance system is changed being determined based on the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing operation of at least one of a display, navigation, control and guidance system in the vehicle within the set distance from the one of the sensors to change from the existing operating state to one of the plurality of different operating states as a result of reception of the communication from the one of the sensors comprises displaying a visual indication of content of the communication on a map shown on the display such that the visual indication of the content of the communication is placed on the map as the vehicle approaches the position of the one of the sensors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the sensors is configured to include an identification code indicative of its position with the communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are coupled to a telecommunications and data network, further comprising transmitting the communication of the information generated by the one of the sensors, initiated only when a vehicle is within the set distance from the one of the sensors, to the vehicle using the telecommunications and data network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are coupled to a telecommunications and data network, further comprising:

receiving, at a remote location, the communication of the information generated by each of the sensors,

determining when a vehicle on the travel surface is within the set distance from each of the sensors; and

transmitting the information generated by each of the sensors to the vehicle using the telecommunications and data network only when the vehicle on the travel surface is determined to be within the set distance from each of the sensors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining when a vehicle on the travel surface is within the set distance from each of the sensors comprises analyzing position of the vehicle relative to the fixed position of each of the sensors to determine if the positional difference is less than the set distance.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensors are coupled to a dedicated short range communications network, further comprising transmitting the communication of the information generated by the one of the sensors, initiated only when a vehicle is within the set distance from the one of the sensors, to the vehicle using the dedicated short range communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication initiated using the communication system associated with the one of the sensors, is a wireless transmission intended for reception by a vehicular navigation system, whereby operation of the navigation system is changed from the existing operating state to one of the plurality of different operating states as a result of reception of the wireless transmission.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining when a vehicle on the travel surface is within the set distance from each of the sensors using a proximity sensor coupled to each of the sensors.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the proximity sensor uses a thermal system, a sound sensing system, an optic system, radar or laser radar (lidar) to analyze proximity of a vehicle to the respective one of the sensors.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the proximity sensor comprises a camera or other optical sensor that obtains images, the step of determining when the vehicle on the travel surface is within the set distance from each of the sensors comprising analyzing images obtained by the camera or other optical sensor to assess a distance between the sensor and the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to include an identification code indicative of its position with the communication.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is located in a stationary mounting structure in a vicinity of the travel surface and apart from the travel surface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is embedded in the travel surface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors is configured to generate information about travel conditions relating to the travel surface or external objects on or in the vicinity of the travel surface that potentially affect travel of vehicles on the travel surface.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface being measured or detected by the measuring or detecting component in each of the sensors is friction of the travel surface, atmospheric pressure, atmospheric temperature, temperature of the travel surface, moisture content of the travel surface or humidity of the atmosphere.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of causing operation of at least one of a display, navigation, control and guidance system in the vehicle within the set distance from the one of the sensors to change from an existing operating state to one of a plurality of different operating states as a result of the communication from the one of the sensors comprises at least one of:

causing at least one of the control and guidance system to enter into an operating state in which the control or guidance system changes movement of the vehicle from its course prior to reception of the sensor-generated information to a new course dependent on the communication; and

causing the navigation system to enter into an operating state in which the navigation system generates a warning dependent on the communication.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing energy to each of the sensors from an energy harvesting system included in or connected to the sensor and that generates energy and provides the generated energy to the measuring or detecting component to enable the measuring or detecting component to measure or detect the property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface.

19. A method for controlling a display system to provide specific information about driving conditions on a travel surface, comprising:

generating driving condition specific information using sensors fixed in position relative to the travel surface, each of the sensors including a measuring or detecting component that measures or detects a property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface that affects interaction between tires and the travel surface and which is part of the generated information;

only when a vehicle is within the set distance from the one of the sensors, initiating a communication of the information generated by the one of the sensors to the vehicle determined to be within the set distance from the sensor or occupant thereof, whereby a communication of the information generated by each of the sensors is not initiated unless a vehicle is within the set distance from that sensor; and

causing the display system in the vehicle within the set distance from the one of the sensors to display a visual indication of content of the communication on a map shown on the display such that the visual indication of the content of the communication is placed on the map as the vehicle approaches the position of the one of the sensors.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing energy to the sensors from an energy harvesting system included in or connected to each of the sensors and that generates energy and provides the generated energy to the measuring or detecting component to enable the measuring or detecting component to measure or detect the property or condition of the travel surface or the environment around the travel surface.