Electronic billboard and vehicle traffic control communication system

• US 5,214,793 A
• Filed: 03/15/1991
• Issued: 05/25/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pulse-Com Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pulse-Com Corporation
• Inventors: Conway, Earnest J., Deckert, James L., Richards, F. Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Belzer, Christine
• Application Number:
  US07/669,823
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 455/49, 455/67, 455/70, 455/345, 455/168.1, 340/905, 364/424.02, 364/424.01
• US Class Current: 455/500
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A communication system uses simple microwave transmitters disposed along roadways and in-vehicle mounted receivers to transmit encoded signals to produce location-specific commercial, traffic regulatory, emergency and other information to operators of motor vehicles. An optional remote interface links transmitters to regulatory and commercial users in real-time. A microprocessor in the receiver uses the coded signals to produce messages from prerecorded messages or from message parts stored in a replaceable memory device, and to provide the messages either audibly, visually or both. The microprocessor functions under operator supplied instructions to select certain message types for display and to reject unwanted messages. The memory device is recorded in one or more languages to allow the operator to select a preferred language for message presentation.

Claims

1. A communications system for communicating with operators of motor vehicles travelling along roadways, said system comprising:

at least one transmitter disposed along a roadway for intermittently transmitting short bursts of signals within a band of frequencies to reduce the duty cycle and to permit operation of a plurality of transmitters within the same band of frequencies, said signals, being transmitted according to a predetermined cycle;

said transmitter having an antenna, a first microprocessor and a first storage means coupled thereto for storing program instructions used by said first microprocessor to control encoding and modulation of a carrier frequency which is transmitted through the antenna as said short bursts of signals, said program instructions also controlling said predetermined cycle;

a plurality of receivers including sweep tuning means for sweeping across said band of frequencies until said short bursts of signals are received, each of said receivers mounted in one of said motor vehicles for receiving said signals from said transmitter;

each of said plurality of receivers having a second microprocessor and mass storage means coupled thereto, said second microprocessor functioning to decode said short bursts of signals to form a decoded message, said decoder message being used by said second microprocessor as an address for retrieving a group of messages from said mass storage means, said group of messages being comprised of a plurality of selected messages;

input means coupled to said second microprocessor for allowing a vehicle operator to designate a message option parameter, said message option parameter being used by said second microprocessor to select at least one of said selected messages from said group of messages for presentation to said vehicle operator as a displayed message; and

display means coupled to each of said receivers for presenting said displayed message to said vehicle operator.

2. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein the sweep tuning means comprises a voltage controlled oscillator and a clock oscillator for producing a control voltage for controlling said voltage controlled oscillator.

3. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said carrier frequency is in the microwave range (10 GHz to 35 GHz).

4. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said short bursts of signals include codes identifying commercial messages contained in said mass storage means.

5. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said short bursts of signals include codes identifying traffic hazard information contained in said mass storage means.

6. A communication system as in claim 3 wherein said transmitter antenna is a directional horn antenna.

7. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said transmitter includes interface means suitable for communicating with remote communications means.

8. A transmitter as in claim 7 wherein said remote communications means comprises a telephone.

9. A transmitter as in claim 8 wherein said remote communications means comprises a cellular telephone.

10. A transmitter as in claim 7 wherein said remote communication means comprises a radio.

11. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said mass storage means contains messages in more than one language.

12. A communication system as in claim 1 wherein said transmitter are coupled to at least one real-time sensor.

20. A communications system as in claim 1 wherein said short bursts of signals include message information and information uniquely identifying said transmitter.

13. A communications system for providing occupants of vehicles with information, the system comprising:

a first transmitter for intermittently transmitting short bursts of signals within a band of frequencies to reduce the duty of cycle and to permit a plurality of transmitters to operate within the same band of frequencies, said signals including a transmitter identification code that distinguishes the first transmitter from a second transmitter;

a receiver positioned in at least one of the vehicles receiving the information and including sweep tuning means for sweeping across said band of frequencies until said short bursts of signals are received;

storage means coupled to the receiver for storing a data base comprised of a plurality of messages grouped into a plurality of types of messages;

input means coupled to the receiver for allowing an occupant of the vehicle containing the receiver to specify a message code that identifies one of the types of messages included in the data base;

processing means for searching said data base for a first message that satisfies the message code and the transmitter identification code; and

display means for displaying the first message.

14. A communication system as in claim 13 wherein the bandwidth is approximately 150 MHz.

15. A communication system as in claim 13 wherein the sweep tuning means comprises a voltage controlled oscillator and a clock oscillator for producing a control voltage for controlling said voltage controlled oscillator.

16. A communications system as in claim 13 wherein the first transmitter operates in the microwave range of frequencies (10 GHz to 35 GHz).

17. A communications system as in claim 13 wherein the first transmitter includes a Gunn diode oscillator.

18. A method for conveying information to a vehicle comprising the steps of:

a) having a vehicle occupant specify a message type that identifies a type of message to be displayed by a display means located in a vehicle and coupled to a receiver;

b) transmitting short bursts of signals within a band of frequencies intermittently at predetermined intervals from a first transmitter to reduce the duty cycle and to permit a plurality of transmitters to operate within the same band of frequencies, said signals including a transmitter identification information that distinguishes the first transmitter from a second transmitter, the first transmitter including a microprocessor for controlling the encoding of the signals and for controlling the predetermined intervals;

c) sweeping the band of frequencies and receiving and decoding the message at the receiver as a received message, the received message including the transmitter identification information;

d) using the transmitter identification information contained in the received message in a microprocessor to scan a plurality of stored messages and generate a group of one or more messages based on the transmitter identification information and the message type specified by the vehicle occupant; and

e) displaying the group of one or more messages to the vehicle occupant.

19. A method for conveying information as in claim 18 wherein the short bursts of signals are transmitted in the microwave frequency range.

21. A system for communicating to vehicles on a highway, said system comprising:

A plurality of transmitters disposed adjacent a highway, each of said transmitters comprising an antenna, an oscillator, a modulator, a controller and a power supply, said transmitters for intermittently transmitting short bursts of signals within a band of frequencies to reduce the duty cycle of said transmitters and to permit said plurality of transmitters to operate in the same band of frequencies without causing mutual interference, said short bursts of signals transmitted in accordance with a predetermined cycle, said controller provided with resident pre-programmed information for transmission in said short bursts of signals; and

a plurality of receivers disposed in vehicles located on said highway, each of said receivers comprising an antenna, a demodulator, a replaceable database, a microprocessor and a display, said receivers including sweep tuning means for sweeping across said band of frequencies until said short bursts of signals are received;

messages resident in said replaceable database are displayed which correspond to the short bursts of signals transmitted by said transmitters, said microprocessors synthesizing complete messages from brief message fragments.

22. The system of claim 21 in which said transmitters further comprise a remote interface having an emergency vehicle interface, a central control interface and real-time sensors.

23. The system of claim 22 in which said transmitters comprise cavity-tuned Gunn diode oscillators that are allowed to drift with temperature within a predetermined band of frequencies to provide random frequency diversity.

24. The system of claim 23 in which said transmitters are further characterized in that they operate in a band of frequencies from 10 GHz to 35 GHz and are allowed to drift with temperature within a band 150 MHz wide.

25. The system of claim 23 which further comprises an interface with a voice play menu system, a cellular telephone, a telephone automatic answering circuit, a digital modem, a DTMF decoder and a PC/PW demodulator.

26. The system of claim 23 in which said power supply comprises a battery and a battery charger.

27. The system of claim 23 in which said modulator comprises a transistor arranged to controllably short circuit a resistor which interrupts power supplied to said oscillator.

28. The system of claim 23 in which said receivers further include means for permitting the user to select the type of information to be displayed.

29. The system of claim 23 in which said receivers are further characterized in that said replaceable database stores full messages and provides reconstruction of new messages from the short bursts of signals, the messages being linked together and displayed at said receivers.

30. The system of claim 29 in which said replaceable database may provide messages in any selected language.

31. The system of claim 23 further characterized in that said system includes means for storage of received signals and for computing direction of travel, thereby permitting prediction of transmitter codes and display of information relevant to future location of said vehicle.

32. The system of claim 24 in which said sweep tuning means sweeps approximately 150 MHz around the expected center frequency of said transmitters.

33. A system for communicating on a highway, said system comprising:

a plurality of transmitters disposed adjacent to a highway, each of said transmitters comprising an antenna, an oscillator, a modulator, a controller and a power supply, said transmitters for intermittently transmitting short bursts of signals within a band of frequencies to reduce the duty cycle of said transmitters and to permit said plurality of transmitters to operate in the same band of frequencies without causing mutual interference, said short bursts of signals transmitted in accordance with a predetermined cycle, said controller provided with resident pre-programmed information comprising instructions for traffic advisories, emergency messages, warnings of upcoming exits from the highway and driving instructions; and

a plurality of receivers disposed in vehicles located on said highway, each of said receivers comprising an antenna, a demodulator, a replaceable database, a microprocessor and a display, said receivers including sweep tuning means for sweeping across said band of frequencies until said short bursts of signals are received;

messages resident in said replaceable database are displayed which correspond to the short bursts of signals transmitted by said transmitters, said microprocessors synthesizing complete messages from brief message fragments.