Advance notification system and method

• US 5,400,020 A
• Filed: 05/18/1993
• Issued: 03/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shipping & Transit, LLC
• Original Assignee: Global Research Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Stubbins, Mark W., Payne, Eugenia B., Jones, Martin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US08/063,533
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/989, 340/992, 340/994, 364/436, 379/58, 379/59, 455/53.1, 455/54.1
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

An advance notification system (10) and method for notifying school children of the impending arrival of their school bus (19). The system includes an on-board vehicle control unit (12) for each bus (19) and a base station control unit (14) for making telephone calls to the homes (29) of school children in order to inform them that the bus (19) is a certain time period away from a bus stop. The vehicle control unit (12) compares elapsed time to the programmed scheduled time for each bus stop to determine if the bus (19) is on schedule. If the bus (19) is behind or ahead of schedule, the vehicle control unit (12) calls the base station control unit (14), which then resets its calling schedule accordingly.

Claims

1. An advance notification system for notifying passengers of an impending arrival of a vehicle at particular stop locations and corresponding scheduled times of arrival, comprising:

a plurality of passenger telephone means associated respectively with the passenger;

a vehicle control unit disposed on said vehicle, said vehicle control unit including vehicle control means, a vehicle communication means controlled by said vehicle control means, an input means for signaling to said vehicle control means when said vehicle reaches particular positions along said scheduled route, and a vehicle clock for tracking elapsed time of said vehicle while on said scheduled route, said vehicle control means having a wireless telephone means, said vehicle control means adapted to initiate a communication when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is ahead of said scheduled time by greater than a first predetermined time period and when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is behind said scheduled time by greater than a second predetermined time period, said vehicle control means for refraining from initiating said communication when said elapsed time of said vehicle at any of said particular positions is less than said first and second predetermined time periods; and

a base station control unit having a base station communication means and a base station control means for controlling said base station communication means, said base station communication means having first and second telephone means, said first telephone means being a wireless communication device for communicating with said vehicle communication means, said second telephone means for communicating with said plurality of passenger telephones, said base station communication means for receiving said calls from said vehicle control unit and for receiving said amount of time in which said vehicle is ahead in time and behind in time, said base station control means for calling via said second telephone means each of said passengers to be boarded at a particular stop location via said base station communication means a third predetermined time period prior to said arrival of said vehicle at said particular stop location, the base station control unit causing a passenger telephone to ring only a preset number of times to indicate onset of said third predetermined time period.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises an odometer detector and wherein said particular positions correspond with mileage measurements from said odometer detector.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a door detector and wherein said particular positions correspond with said particular stop locations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a means for communicating with the global positioning system (GPS) and wherein said particular positions are determined by data received from said GPS.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said input means comprises a means for communicating with the LORAN positioning system and wherein said particular positions are determined by data received from said LORAN positioning system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle communication means and said base station communication means both comprise a wireless telephone for communication therebetween.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said vehicle communication means and said base station communication means both comprise a wireless transceiver for communication therebetween.

8. A system for giving advance notice to a passenger of the impending arrival of a vehicle at a particular stop location as the vehicle travels along a scheduled route of stop locations, comprising:

(a) a passenger telephone situated with the passenger;

(b) a base station control unit having;

(1) a first base station telephone which provides wireless communications;

(2) a second base station telephone for communicating with said passenger telephone; and

(3) a base station control means for contacting said passenger telephone with said second base station telephone an a predetermined time interval prior to arrival of said vehicle at said particular stop location; and

(c) a vehicle control unit situated on said vehicle having;

(1) a vehicle telephone which provides wireless communications for communicating with said first base station telephone of said base station control unit;

(2) an input means for signaling when said vehicle has started along said scheduled route and when said vehicle is at said stop locations along said scheduled route;

(3) a vehicle clock for tracking elapsed time of said vehicle while said vehicle moves along said scheduled route; and

(4) a vehicle control means for controlling said vehicle telephone and for monitoring signals from said input means and said vehicle clock, said vehicle control means for initiating a call to said base station control unit when said elapsed time of said vehicle while at a certain stop location is greater than a predetermined amount from a scheduled time, said vehicle control means for refraining from initiating a call to said base station control unit when said elapsed time of said vehicle while at said certain stop location is less than said predetermined amount from said scheduled time, the base station control unit causing a passenger telephone to ring only a preset number of times to indicate onset of said predetermined time interval.

9. The system of claim 8,

(a) wherein said vehicle control unit comprises:

(1) a first means for initializing said vehicle clock and said elapsed time when said vehicle initiates movement along said scheduled route, said first means for initiating said call to said base station control unit when said vehicle resides at said certain stop location later than said scheduled time by greater than a first predetermined amount and for refraining from initiating said call when said vehicle resides at said certain stop location later than said scheduled time by less than said first predetermined amount, said first means for initiating said call to said base station control unit when said vehicle resides at said certain stop location earlier than said scheduled time by greater than a second predetermined amount and for refraining from initiating said call to said base station control unit when said vehicle resides at said certain stop location earlier than said scheduled time by less than said second predetermined amount; and

(2) second means in communication with said first means, said second means for calling said base station control unit with said vehicle telephone by command of said first means, said second means for conveying said elapsed time and a next stop number to said base station control unit;

(b) wherein said base station control unit comprises;

(1) a third means for monitoring communications with said vehicle control unit, said third means for receiving said elapsed time and said next stop location, said third means for causing said vehicle control unit to reset said elapsed time to said scheduled time when said vehicle resides at said certain stop location earlier and later than said scheduled time based upon said elapsed time and said scheduled time; and

(2) a fourth means in communication with said third means, said fourth means for identifying said passenger telephone based upon said next stop number, said fourth means for contacting said passenger telephone with said second base station telephone at a predetermined time interval prior to arrival of said vehicle at said particular stop location.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said base station control unit comprises a means for causing said vehicle control unit to reset said elapsed time to said scheduled time when said base station control unit is called by said vehicle control unit.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said vehicle control unit compares said elapsed time to a first predetermined amount from said scheduled time when said vehicle arrives at said certain stop location earlier than said scheduled time, and wherein said vehicle control unit compares said elapsed time to a second predetermined amount from said scheduled time when said vehicle arrives at said certain stop location later than said scheduled time.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said passenger telephone is a wireless communications device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said input means comprises a detector on said vehicle for detecting operation of a door.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a manually-operated start switch, a manually-operated move forward switch, and a manually-operated move backward switch associated with said input means and accessible to a driver of said vehicle, said start switch being actuated by the driver when said vehicle initiates the scheduled route, said move forward switch being actuated by the driver after stopping at the particular stop location so that the elapsed time is reset said move backward switch being actuated by the driver to retreat said next stop number displayed on said display; and

a display for illuminating a next stop number corresponding with a next stop location of the route.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said input means comprises an odometer on said vehicle.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein said input means comprises a means for communicating with a position tracking system.

17. A method for giving advance notice to a passenger of the impending arrival of a vehicle at a particular stop location as the vehicle travels along a scheduled route of stop locations, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing the vehicle with a vehicle control unit having a wireless vehicle telephone;

(b) providing a base station with a base station control unit having first and second telephones, said first telephone being wireless for communicating with said wireless vehicle telephone for providing wireless communications between said vehicle control unit and said base station control unit;

(c) providing a passenger telephone with said passenger, said passenger telephone for communicating with said second telephone of said base station;

(d) minimizing communications between said base station and said vehicle by;

(1) monitoring elapsed time with said vehicle control unit as said vehicle moves along said scheduled route;

(2) comparing in said vehicle control unit the elapsed time to a scheduled time when said vehicle is at a certain stop location;

(3) when the elapsed time deviates from the scheduled time by greater than a predetermined limit, initiating a call from said vehicle control unit to said base station control unit to convey said elapsed time;

(4) when the elapsed time deviates from the scheduled time by less than said predetermined limit, refraining from initiating said call from said vehicle control unit to said base station control unit to convey said elapsed time; and

(5) contacting the passenger at said passenger telephone with said base station control unit at a predetermined time interval before said vehicle is scheduled to arrive at a particular stop, the base station control unit causing a passenger telephone to ring only a preset number of times to indicate onset of said predetermined time interval.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of resetting said elapsed time to said scheduled time when the base station control unit is contacted by said vehicle control unit.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

comparing said elapsed time to a first predetermined amount from said scheduled time when said vehicle arrives at said certain stop location earlier than said scheduled time; and

comparing said elapsed time to a second predetermined amount from said scheduled time when said vehicle arrives at said certain stop location later than said scheduled time.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of using a wireless communications device for said passenger telephone.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of detecting when said vehicle is at said certain stop location by detecting operation of a door on said vehicle.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of detecting when said vehicle is at said certain stop location by detecting actuation of a switch on said vehicle.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

providing a start switch, a move forward switch, and a display all connected to said vehicle control unit and accessible to a driver of said vehicle;

actuating said start switch when said vehicle initiates the scheduled route;

illuminating a next stop number corresponding with a next stop location; and

actuating said move forward switch after stopping at the particular stop location so that the next stop number is advanced and displayed on said display and so that the elapsed time is reset.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

providing a move backward switch connected to said vehicle control unit and accessible to a driver of said vehicle; and

actuating said move backward switch to retreat said next stop number displayed on said display.