VEHICLE SPEED LIMITER

• US 20180326984A1
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Published: 11/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Speedgauge Incorporated (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Speedgauge Incorporated (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hubbard, Jonathan, Kantarjiev, Christopher A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,464,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/10 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/402 Type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/406 Traffic density
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to apparatus, methods, and non-transitory storage medium for controlling the maximum speed of a vehicle as that vehicle travels along a route. Apparatus and methods consistent with the present disclosure may receive location information from an electronic device that is located at a vehicle and may provide information to the electronic device at that controls the maximum speed of the vehicle as speed limits change along the route.

Claims

1. A method for controlling vehicle speed, the method comprising:

receiving information associated with a route and identifying a location, the information received from a controller at a vehicle via a communication interface;

identifying a speed limiting factor associated with the location;

identifying a target speed to transmit to the vehicle by retrieving a maximum speed that corresponds to the location and the route from a database and reducing the maximum speed according to the speed limiting factor; and

transmitting, via the communication interface, the target speed to the controller at the vehicle, the target speed transmitted to the vehicle instructing the controller to limit a maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the location based on the target speed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying that the location is experiencing poor weather conditions, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the poor weather conditions at the location, wherein the poor weather conditions include at least one of fog, rain, snow, ice, or wind.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed limiting factor associated with the location is based on one or more speeds of one or more other vehicles traveling along the route.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the route and identifying a second location;

identifying a second target speed to transmit to the vehicle by retrieving a second maximum speed that corresponds to the second location, the second target speed adjusted from the second maximum speed according to the speed limiting factor; and

transmitting the second target speed to the controller at the vehicle, the second target speed transmitted to the vehicle instructing the controller to limit the maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the second location based on the second target speed.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving time information that corresponds to a time of day at the location, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the time of day.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed limiting factor is associated with a vehicle type of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed limiting factor is associated with an identification that sunlight is shining toward eyes of a driver of the vehicle.

8. A method for controlling vehicle speed, the method comprising:

receiving, via a network interface, information that identifies an experience level of a driver driving a vehicle that includes a controller having control over limiting a speed of the vehicle;

receiving, via the network interface, location information that is associated with a location and with a route;

receiving, by a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory, a maximum speed that corresponds to the location and the route;

identifying, by the processor, a target speed to send to the controller, wherein the target speed is less than the maximum speed by an offset that is based on the experience level of the driver driving the vehicle; and

transmitting the target speed to the controller at the vehicle, wherein the target speed transmitted to the vehicle instructs the controller to limit a maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the location based on the target speed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving information associated with the route and identifying a second location;

identifying a second target speed to transmit to the vehicle by retrieving a second maximum speed that corresponds to the second location, the second target speed adjusted from the second maximum speed according to the driver experience level; and

transmitting the second target speed to the controller at the vehicle, the second target speed transmitted to the vehicle instructing the controller to limit the maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the second location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the experience level is a low experience level and the offset is higher than a second offset associated with a high experience level.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the experience level is a high experience level and the offset is less than a second offset associated with a low experience level.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the offset is based on a margin value.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the offset is based on a percentage of the maximum speed.

14. An apparatus for controlling vehicle speed, the apparatus comprising:

a network interface that receives information associated with a route and identifying a location, the information received from a controller at a vehicle via a communication interface, wherein the network interface also transmits a target speed to the vehicle thereby instructing the controller to limit a maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the location based on the target speed;

a memory; and

a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the processor to;

identify a speed limiting factor associated with the location; and

identify the target speed to transmit to the vehicle by retrieving a maximum speed that corresponds to the location and the route from a database and reducing the maximum speed according to the speed limiting factor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to identify that the location is experiencing rain, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the rain at the location.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to identify that the location is experiencing snow, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the snow at the location.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to identify that the location is experiencing fog, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the fog at the location.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor further causes the processor to identify that the location is experiencing ice, wherein identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the ice at the location.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the network interface receives information associated with the route and identifying a second location;

the processor identifies a second target speed to transmit to the vehicle by retrieving a second maximum speed that corresponds to the second location,

the second target speed is adjusted from the second maximum speed according to the speed limiting factor; and

the network interface transmits the second target speed to the controller at the vehicle, the second target speed transmitted to the vehicle instructing the controller to limit the maximum speed that the vehicle can travel along the route at the second location.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein weather information that corresponds to the identified location is received via the network interface, and wherein the identification of the speed limiting factor is based on the weather information.