Intelligent vehicle-highway system
First Claim
1. A system for providing site-specific data to the operator of a vehicle moving on a roadway, the system comprising:
- transceiver means installed on the vehicle, said transceiver means having mobile transmitter means for transmitting an enabling electromagnetic signal, and receiver means for receiving the site-specific data;
data storage means for storing the site-specific data, said data storage means being installed in the vicinity of the roadway for receiving said enabling electromagnetic signal and sending the site-specific data in response theretosite-specific data transmitter means coupled to said data storage means for transmitting said site-specific data to said transceiver means; and
energy receiving means coupled to said data storage means for receiving said enabling electromagnetic signal transmitted by said transceiver means, and converting an electromagnetic energy in said enabling electromagnetic signal to electrical energy for energizing said site-specific data transmitter means.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intelligent vehicle-highway system utilizes a transmitter installed on the vehicle for communicating with modules having memory elements for storing site-specific information, a receiver for receiving an enabling signal from the transceiver on the vehicle, and a transmitter for making the site-specific information available to the operator of the vehicle. The data storage system is installed in the vicinity of the roadway, such as alongside of the roadway, overhead of the roadway, or preferably embedded in the roadway itself so as to ensure communciation with vehicles within predetermined lanes. In a highly advantageous embodiment, the site-specific data can be changed by reprogramming an erasable memory with a memory programmer, which may be installed on a programming vehicle which is authorized to travel on the roadway for the purpose of reprogramming the data within the data storage systems. Such reprogramming may use access codes which prevent tampering with the stored data. Alternatively, reprogramming of the data storage systems can be performed with the use of local transmitters controlled by a centralized agency. The local transmitters can also communicate directly with the vehicles on the roadway to provide rapid communication of matters of interest to all, such as emergency situations.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A system for providing site-specific data to the operator of a vehicle moving on a roadway, the system comprising:
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transceiver means installed on the vehicle, said transceiver means having mobile transmitter means for transmitting an enabling electromagnetic signal, and receiver means for receiving the site-specific data; data storage means for storing the site-specific data, said data storage means being installed in the vicinity of the roadway for receiving said enabling electromagnetic signal and sending the site-specific data in response thereto site-specific data transmitter means coupled to said data storage means for transmitting said site-specific data to said transceiver means; and energy receiving means coupled to said data storage means for receiving said enabling electromagnetic signal transmitted by said transceiver means, and converting an electromagnetic energy in said enabling electromagnetic signal to electrical energy for energizing said site-specific data transmitter means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing information pertaining to the characteristics of a predetermined geographical region which may be of interest to an operator of a vehicle being operated on a roadway in the predetermined geographical region, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing the information pertaining to the characteristics in a data storage system arranged in the vicinity of the roadway; transmitting a request signal in the form of electromagnetic energy from a transmitter installed on the vehicle to said data storage system, said request signal having an interrogator component and an enabling component; receiving at a receiver in the vehicle a data signal containing said information stored in said data storage system, said information being responsive to said interrogator component of said request signal; and converting said information in said data signal to a form understandable to the operator of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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Specification