Traffic information inter-vehicle transference and navigation system

• US 5,428,544 A
• Filed: 07/08/1993
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NORM Pacific Automation Corporation
• Original Assignee: NORM Pacific Automation Corporation
• Inventors: Shyu, Jia-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/089,654
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 364/436, 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 73/178 R, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 340/905, 340/902, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for the transference of traffic information among vehicles and for assisting navigating the vehicles. The traffic information of the vehicles, such as the speed and the route and direction, is remotely transmitted to each other during passing, via communication devices mounted on each of the vehicles. The apparatus comprises sensors to detect the direction and the displacement of the vehicle; a microcomputer to recognize the position of the vehicle by referring the detected direction and displacement to a digitized map; a receiver to receive the passing vehicle'"'"'s traffic information to be processed by the microcomputer; a transmitter to transmit the traffic information to the passing vehicle; and a navigation unit in the microcomputer to generate navigation information and indicate the traffic information of vehicles ahead is transmitted to a receiving vehicle in an indirect manner via a passing vehicle.

Claims

1. A system of communication between a first navigatable vehicle moving in a first direction and at least a second vehicle moving in a second direction;

said system of communication comprising a communication device mounted on said first navigable vehicle and said second navigable vehicle, wherein said communication device comprising;

a speed sensor (2) and a direction sensor (3) for detecting a speed and direction, respectively, of said first navigatable vehicle;

a receiver (4) for receiving direction and speed signals transmitted from said second navigatable vehicle;

said receiver having a receiver output for transmitting an output containing receiver-generated signals related to the speed and direction of said second vehicle and those of other vehicles that are received by and transmitted from said second vehicle;

a decoder means (14) connected to said receiver output for decoding the receiver-generated speed and direction signals related to said second and other navigatable vehicles, said decoder means having first and second decoder outputs;

a first storage means (15) connected to said first decoder output of said decoder means for storing speed and direction information of a third navigatable vehicle travelling in said first direction but in front of said first navigatable vehicle;

a map storage device (12) containing electronic pictorial information on navigatable routes between said first navigatable vehicle and its destination;

a self-position identifier means (11) having separate inputs connected to said speed sensor, said direction sensor and said map storage device, respectively, so as to identify a position of said first navigatable vehicle relative to a selected map, said self-position identifier means having first and second identifier outputs;

a navigation unit (18) comprising a map-drawing module (181) for generating a map information through a display screen (8), and a navigation module (182) for providing a path indication and a driving instruction;

said navigation module having a first navigation input connected to the first identifier output of said self-position identifier means, and a second navigation input connected to said first storage means, said navigation module also having first and second navigation outputs;

said map-drawing module having a first drawing input connected to said map storage device and a second drawing input connected to said first navigation output of the navigation module;

a display screen being connected to said map-drawing module and to the second navigation output of the navigation module, whereby the position and direction of said first navigatable vehicle are displayed on a map on said display screen, and said second navigation output of said navigation module including a line indicated on the displayed map showing an optimum route for said first navigatable vehicle;

a second storage means (13) connected to the second identifier output of said self-position identifier means for storing the speed and direction information of said first navigatable vehicle;

a third storage means (16) connected to the second decoder output of said decoder means for storing the speed and direction information of said second navigatable vehicle;

a transmitter (7) for broadcasting vehicle speed and direction information to said second and other vehicles encountered by said first navigatable vehicle; and

means (17) connected to said second and third storage means for supplying signals to said transmitter.