Highway information system

• US 4,481,584 A
• Filed: 07/30/1981
• Issued: 11/06/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bobby H. Holland
• Original Assignee: Bobby H. Holland
• Inventors: Holland, Bobby H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkinson, Charles E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Application Number:
  US06/288,314
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/444, 364/449, 364/450, 364/460, 364/715, 340/23, 353/12
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing highway information contained in plug-in data cartridges (22) by means of a micro-processor (24) is disclosed. Selected highway information is stored and made available with respect to distance markers such as mile markers or kilometer markers along a roadway from a mass plug-in data cartridge storage media (22) which permanently stores a multitude of data in digital form related to services and other pertinent information available along a selected roadway. Each of this data is indexed according to distance or mile marker indicators along the roadway. Also included is a ROM (read only memory) storage means (28) and a scratch pad memory or RAM (30) for temporarily receiving and storing data. ROM or read only memory (28) contains the control program for controlling the apparatus. The keyboard (14) or input data entry means allows the motorist to provide the necessary input to indicate the selection of highway from which he desires roadway information. Also included is a alpha-numeric character display (16) for providing a visual indication of the desired and pertinent roadway information. Further included is a speech synthesis means (32) for audibilizing the pertinent data information. The complete system is controlled by a micro-processor (24) which itself is controlled by the program contained in read only memory (28). The micro-processor may be any suitable standard micro-processor commercially available.

Claims

1. An operator controlled highway information system for storing data and information related to the types of services available at selected locations along a roadway, and for providing portions of said data and information related to specific ones of said locations in a recognizable human language as selected by said operator, and in response to distance indicator input data provided by said operator, comprising:

a selected mass storage means for permanently storing data in digital form relating to services available along a selected roadway, elements of said data being contained in a multiplicity of data groups, each of said data groups indexed according to distance indicators along said roadway, and each of said data groups being accessible according to said distance indicators;

input data entry keyboard for providing selectable data as input digital signals by said operator, said input digital signals including selected ones of roadway designation signals initiated by roadway designation keys for selecting a designated roadway, direction of travel signals initiated by directional keys for selecting which direction the permanently stored data is to be scanned, distance indication signals initiated by numerical keys for selecting a designated roadway location, and special control signals initiated by control keys for causing said system to repeat the previous system response or for causing said system to sequentially scan the permanently stored data in a designated direction;

a random access digital storage means for repeatedly receiving and temporarily storing selected and varied data;

a read only memory for permanently storing in digital form controlling data, said controlling data including an instructional program for controlling said system, and for providing interaction between said operator and said system to solicit input information from said operator, such interaction from said operator to said system by means of said input data keyboard, and from said system to said operator by means of a speech synthesizing means as determined by a processing means;

speech synthesizing means for receiving and converting digital data, including selected portions of said instructional program stored in said read only memory, and selected ones of said multiplicity of data groups, into output signals representative of said received digital data for providing audible or vocal sound representations of such data in a recognizable language; and

processing means for receiving and evaluating said input digital signals, controlling the transfer of said varied data to and from said random access storage means, and the transfer of said selected ones of said controlling data and said multiplicity of data groups to said speech synthesizing means and controlling said speech synthesizing means, said processing means operating in response to said input digital signals and said instructional program.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including a visual display means controlled by said processing means, said visual display means converting and displaying selected ones of said controlling data and said multiplicity of said data groups as visible symbols representative of said recognizable language.

3. The apparatus of claims 2 or 1 wherein said processing means include means for determining those data groups indexed as being within a selected range of said indicator input data.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said mass storage means comprises a plurality of commercially available mass storage means combined as a single mass storage means and wherein the multitude of data of each one of said plurality relates to a different selection of roadways.

5. The apparatus of claims 2, 1 or 4 wherein said mass storage means includes a semi-conductor mass storage means.

6. A method of selectivity providing roadway data from a highway information system to a human operator or driver, said roadway data representative of types of services available at selected locations along a roadway and providing portions of said data and said information related to specific ones of said locations as selected by said operator in a recognizable human language, and in response to selected distance indicator input data provided by said operator, comprising the steps of:

permanently storing in digital format, data representative of available services along said roadway, in a selected mass storage means, elements of said data contained in a multiplicity of data groups, each of said data groups indexed according to distance indicators along said roadway, and each of said data groups being accessible according to said distance indicators;

repeatedly receiving and temporarily storing selected and varied data in a random access storage means;

permanently storing, in a read only memory, controlling data in digital form including an instructional program for controlling said system, and for providing interaction between said operator and said system to solicit input information from said operator;

controlling the transfer of said varied data to and from said random access means, and selected ones of said multiplicity of data groups from said mass storage means to a speech synthesizing means in response to digital input signals and said instructional program said controlling being implemented by a processing means;

communicationg from said operator to said system by means of a system input data keyboard by providing operator selected data as said digital input signals, said digital input signals including selected ones of roadway designation signals initiated by roadway designation keys for selecting a designated roadway, direction of travel signals inititated by directional keys for selecting which direction the permanently stored data is to be scanned, mileage indication signals initiated by numerical keys for selecting a designated roadway location, and special control signals initiated by control keys for causing said system to repeat the previous system response or for causing said system to sequentially scan the permanently stored data in a designated direction;

communicating from said system to said operator by said speech synthesizing means by synthesizing speech in response to electrical output signals representative of data contained in selected ones of said multiplicity of data groups and said instructional program to selectively convey roadway information corresponding to said distance indicators in an audible and recognizable language.